The historic and beautiful city of Nara has a charm which attracts people from all over the world. It is Japan at its finest, and should be a must-see for people who want to fully experience this amazing country! Nara is just a 60-minute train ride from Kyoto and a 45-minute train ride from Osaka,…

Like many other places in Japan, Nara is also popular for some of its food. One of the unique food you should try while in Nara is chagayu – a simple dish of rice cooked with tea. Okayu jp.fotolia.com/ You may have heard about rice cooked with water before, which is known as “okayu” in…

When you think of prison, you think of a cold, uncomfortable place with barred doors and no windows. You think of a place where toilet bowls are unclean and beds are worn-out. It is something that holds back your freedom. But can you imagine a prison building being turned into a hotel? This is one…

Japan is a country symbolic of temples and shrines. The former capital of Japan, Nara (奈良), played a great cultural importance in shaping the country’s history. It is where majestic temples that are lavishly decorated with different varieties of flowers stand. Many of these temples are located in high areas such as hilltops which make…

Do you ever think, “Man, I wish I could do that!” when you watch Naruto? In feudal Japan, a ninja, otherwise known as shinobi, must learn to fight with agility and strength, slipping in and out of missions while remaining practically invisible to their foes. Becoming a true ninja takes years of dedicated and specialized…

Have you ever wanted to dress up in your favorite costume and pretend to be someone else for a while? Perhaps a persona from a different or ancient culture? Dress up as a Japanese courtesan from the Edo Era at Yamato Sakura, a specialty photography studio in Nara Prefecture for that much-needed courtesan makeover. Basic…

One of the ancient capitals, Nara is a famous destination that is sadly often overlooked by tourists as it is so close to other popular cities such as Osaka and Kyoto. However, one of the crowning glories of Nara and indeed the main reason to visit Nara is because of its park. Nara Koen is…

It was during the New Year holiday, almost every restaurant was closed and the two choice diners we had earmarked in our tourist book seemed not to exist anymore. Hungry and lacking in choice, we stumbled around the streets of Nara trying to find somewhere for lunch – by this point, any old thing would…

Nara park is a large open space with temples, museums and gardens enough to keep most tourists entertained for several days, especially if you work in a few rounds of feeding the deer. But the biggest attraction of the park is the Todaiji Temple – a complex of several buildings, the most famous of which…

Mt. Yoshino (Yoshinoyama) is a mountain in Nara Prefecture that has been a subject in so many literary writings, and with good reasons: it is a gorgeous spot for cherry blossom viewing. It has also served as an important destination for religious purposes such as pilgrimages and the area continues to attract many foreign people.…