When you’ve learn this weblog for any size of time, then you already know what a staunch defender of Kyoto I’m. It’s a vacationer lure, sure, nevertheless it’s additionally my former residence. Certainly, it’s an enormous metropolis with historical past so broad and so deep you can keep away from the crowds at any time of yr if you happen to attempt laborious sufficient.
I deliver this up not as a result of my opinion of Kyoto has modified—it hasn’t—however as a result of I just lately got here round to a perspective I by no means anticipated to entertain: That, for sure kinds of vacationers, Nara could be a preferable in a single day base to Kyoto.
Be aware that this isn’t the identical as me suggestion you might want to select between Kyoto or Nara—I believe everybody wants to go to every of those cities a minimum of as soon as. However there’s extra to the dialogue than that.
Staying In a single day in Nara Modified My Perspective
I by no means ever actually entertained the Kyoto vs Nara comparability till I spent the night time in Nara—which, as of this put up’s preliminary publication, is a really latest improvement. Previous to that time, it wasn’t actually apples-to-apples. Kyoto was a spot the place you spend days on finish (or months on finish, in my case); Nara was someplace you went for the morning or afternoon, albeit perhaps greater than as soon as.
Certainly, I’m undecided whether or not it was the fantastic thing about the sundown I loved from Wakakusayama, the truth that I slept in Nara throughout the annual lantern competition or simply how a lot I felt I had town to myself after I awakened at 5 AM. It was simply me, the deer and some locals! However I now really feel there’s a compelling case to be made that Nara may make a greater base for exploring Japan’s Kansai area than Kyoto does.
Methods to Evaluate Kyoto and Nara
Transportation and walkability
One of many issues I really like about Kyoto is how easy getting round there may be. Particular person neighborhoods like Higashiyama and Arashiyama are walkable; a easy subway and native practice community (and a manageable vary of bus numbers) connects them with extra scattered locations. In Nara, however, you needn’t ever even board a bus inside the metropolis heart, notably not if you happen to arrive through the Kintetsu line.
Resorts
When you journey from Kyoto to Nara on a day journey, it won’t happen to you to consider what sort of lodges Nara presents. Nonetheless, as you may think with a little bit of thought, there are neither as many choices in Nara, nor ones as high-quality. Whereas Kyoto provides you choices starting from the spartan Ryokan Kyoraku to the opulent Resort the Mitsui, in Nara the choices throughout the board are extra humble, from Miroku Nara to Resort New Wakasa.
Cityscape
As is the case for Kyoto, Nara’s metropolis heart is usually confined to the valley between a number of surrounding mountains. Not like Kyoto, there’s much less of a contemporary skyline in Nara, that means that buildings like Kofuku-ji five-story pagoda and Todai-ji temple stand out extra impressively than most of Kyoto’s landmarks, with the potential exception of towering Hokan-ji pagoda in Higashiyama.
Eating places and bars
When selecting between Nara or Kyoto for food and drinks, there’s actually no contest. Which isn’t to say there aren’t any good eating places or bars in Nara—within the latter class, the truth is, Lamp Bar is arguably the very best place in all of Japan for a cocktail. Nonetheless, the sheer number of eateries in Kyoto (whether or not causal ones in Nishiki Market, or upscale obanzai joints alongside the Kamo River) simply full eclipses what’s on supply in Nara.
Day journeys and excursions
Nara is commonly a day journey from Kyoto, nevertheless it’s not the one choice. Many individuals head west of Osaka (or past it to Himeji Fort and Kobe); you can even head east to Lake Biwa, and even northward to underrated Obama or to “Kyoto by the Sea.” Staying in Nara extra unlocks sure day journey choices like Mt. Yoshino and Asuka, although typically makes most of Kansai a bit tougher to entry than it could be from Kyoto.
Base or Vacation spot—That’s the Query
I promised, early on on this put up, to focus extra on the deserves of Nara as a substitute base to Kyoto, quite than if it’s a superior vacation spot or not. Studying by way of the previous paragraphs, nonetheless, it’s not a stretch to say I would’ve failed. As a lot as I really like Kyoto, and as laborious as it’s for me to confess this a a consequence, there are some methods by which I want Nara as a metropolis.
Which is sensible: Nara is older than Kyoto and was the capital for longer, and at a extra pivotal time in Japan’s historical past. Only some of its points of interest are well-known, which suggests there are merely extra alternatives for discovery. The important thing, I believe, is refusing to cut back the Nara vs Kyoto debate to a price judgment and as a substitute evaluating the cities, quite than rating them, as a lot as you could be tempted to take action.
Different FAQ About Visiting Nara and Kyoto
Is Nara as crowded as Kyoto?
Through the daytime, it’s controversial that Nara is much more crowded that Kyoto, notably alongside the vacationer path from Todai-ji temple, to Nara Park, to Kasuga Shrine, to Kofuku-ji temple. Nonetheless, if you happen to keep in a single day in Nara, I believe you’ll discover that the evenings and mornings are virtually abandoned. The quiet and solitude assist you to connect with Nara and its historic historical past in a approach that’s merely not potential in Kyoto.
Is it higher to remain in Nara or day journey to Nara?
Clearly, in case your solely choice for visiting Nara is to take a day journey, then do this. It’s too superior of a metropolis to skip merely since you aren’t capable of keep there in a single day. With this being stated, I do suppose it is best to spend an evening in Nara if you happen to can. I lastly did—and it completely modified my perspective on town for the higher.
Can I do Nara and Kyoto in at some point?
When you have been capable of curate a restricted vary of locations in every metropolis, you may contact the bottom of Kyoto and Nara in at some point. Nara pairs particularly effectively with Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine, provided that they’re alongside the identical practice line. Nonetheless, as a way to comprehensively see each Kyoto and Nara, you want a minimum of two full days (and, ideally, for much longer than that).
The Backside Line
Is Kyoto or Nara a greater metropolis for vacationers? To me, this isn’t a very powerful query—each of those cities supply totally different experiences and, provided that each served because the Japanese capital for hundreds of years, are so filled with historical past, tradition and custom you may by no means see all of it. I wrote this put up with a extra particular purpose in thoughts: Particularly, to recommend that Nara may make a greater—or, a minimum of, a extra tranquil—base for discover Japan’s Kansai area. If that is the type of perception you’re on the lookout for as you set your individual journey collectively, why not fee a customized Japan itinerary? I can prevent lots of hassle, and depart you free to save lots of your vitality for in-the-moment discoveries when you land.