ATTRACTIONS

NARA Park is a vast treasure trove of national treasures and World Heritage Sites. Among these, the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple and the 1,000 plus deer that roam the park have been adopted as the icons of NARA itself.
Befitting the city’s history as the ancient capital of Japan, the park also hosts a range of cultural events and exhibitions, including the Omizutori ceremony at Todai-ji Temple, the Mantoro Lantern Festival at Kasuga-taisha Shrine, the Tokae Candle Festival, the Shoso-in Exhibition, and the Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri festival. The grassy park is dotted with flowering plants and trees that make for an enjoyable visit at any time of year.

The Shohaku Museum was founded in March 1994. The museum collects, conserves, and exhibits the work of Shoen Uemura, Shoko Uemura, and Atsushi Uemura. In addition, it also works to disperse Japanese-style paintings and nurture young artists through special exhibitions and publicly sponsored exhibitions.

The NARA National Museum is famous for its Shoso-in Exhibition, which is held during the fall every year. In addition to the permanent collection, which includes Buddhist statues, paintings, scrolls, and ceremonial objects, the museum often holds special exhibitions that are usually well worth checking out.

It is the head temple of the Ritsu sect, one of the six sects of Buddhism which flourished in ancient NARA. Jianzhen, who became widely known through a novel entitled “Tempyo no Iraka” (Roof Tiles of the Tempyo Period) written by Yasushi Inoue, spent his later years in this temple.

Famous for wisteria blooms from ancient days, the precincts of Kasuga Grand Shrine are dotted with brightly painted vermilion halls. The shrine’s treasure hall, known as the Homotsuden, houses an array of national treasures. There is also is the Kasuga Taisha Manyo Botanical Garden in the shrine’s precinct, which houses around 300 kinds of plants described in the Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest collection of poetry. At the Mantoro Lantern Festival held on the day before the beginning of Spring and the middle of the year according to the lunar calendar, thousands of lanterns are lit on the grounds. Their light softly illuminates the shrine’s covered passageways, creating a mystical and profound beauty.

The popular music theater in the basement of Tsutenkaku Tower holds a weekend music show every Saturday and Sunday, in which singers come from all over Japan to sing popular traditional-style songs. Jan-jan Yokocho Lane, which is lined with kushikatsu restaurants, doteyaki (simmered beef sinew) restaurants, and go and shogi (Japanese board games) clubs, is a symbol of OSAKA’s vibrant nature.
Shinsekai’s Billiken figure and giant blowfish lantern sign are popular picture-postcard images of the city.
It is also known as a stage of “”Osho (Chess Master),”” a play based on the true story of a chess grandmaster.

With famous landmarks such as the Shochikuza Theater, the Kani Doraku restaurant, and the neon lights of the Glico Running Man, Dotonbori is a vibrant shopping and entertainment district in the heart of Minami, OSAKA.
Dotonbori derives its name from Doton Yasui, a local merchant who expanded the river that runs through the district at his own expense in 1612.

Inside Kaiyukan, which recreates the marine habitats of the Pacific Rim, elaborately designed tanks attract the attention of visitors. In the Pacific Ocean tank you will find the popular whale sharks and manta rays, while the tunnel-shaped Aquagate tank is home to a plethora of tropical fish, and penguins await in the Antarctic zone. The aquarium also holds special night viewing events. The surrounding area is home to a range of attractions including the diminutive Tempozan (Japan’s lowest “mountain” at only 4.5 meters in height), a giant Ferris wheel, and sightseeing cruises of OSAKA Bay. There is also a free ferry service that connects Tempozan with Sakurajima, which is convenient for those heading to Universal City.

The Kyocera Dome OSAKA opened in March 1997 and has become a unique OSAKA landmark. It serves as the home grounds of the Orix Buffaloes and is also used to host events, concerts, and sports games. The dome has a range of facilities including restaurants and shops. Located close to the hotel, Kyocera Dome OSAKA can be reached in 10 minutes by train with no transfers.

With the appearance of two genius creators, Gidayu Takemoto and Monzaemon Chikamatsu, “Bunraku” Puppet Theater attracted enormous popularity in OSAKA during the Edo period. Bunraku is a unique form of puppet theater involving three performers specializing in their own fields, namely reciting or chanting, puppet control, and music, coming together as one, which is rare anywhere else in the world of performing arts. The National Bunraku Theater is also used for dance performances and Japanese music and entertainment shows. The theater library open to the public offers an extensive collection of bunraku literature. The theater neighborhood is dotted with many sites related to the lives of Monzaemon Chikamatsu and Saikaku Ihara, giants of OSAKA’s literary world.

Set on huge grounds three times the size of the Koshien baseball stadium, Shitenno-ji features many sights to see including the Taishi-den Hall where Prince Shotoku is worshiped and the beautiful Gokuraku-jodo Garden. The unique layout of the temple complex, called the “Shitenno-ji-temple-style garan layout,” was greatly influenced by China and represents one of the oldest styles of Japanese architecture.