Day trip from Osaka to Nara

#osakaitinerary Nara has been a popular travel destination famously known for the roaming wild deers within the city. But I personally see it often better to go as a day trip from Osaka (or Kyoto). Simply because there wasn’t exactly a perfect sunrise spot there to demand for being in the city early morning, and the train runs till around 11pm back to Osaka. But in fact one most likely are not gonna stay in Nara till too late because most places would be out of business by then. Wild deers, being one of the top two attractions in Nara, could be seen in abundance near the park outside Kofuku-ji. Rice crackers could be bought at various stalls in the neighborhood for the feeding of deers. But some deers are rather aggressive to go for the crackers in patrons’ hand, so do bear in mind and take extra caution. Kofuku-ji, which is a temple, was worth a visit too, though the pagoda was under renovation in Dec 2024. Next to Kofuku-jo is Sarusawa-ike Pond, where many locals/tourists enjoy a laid-back day sitting around. There’s one sought-after unagi restaurant Kikusuiro 5min away from Kofuku-ji, which uses fresh eel and grill it on the spot. For those who are into grilled live eel, it’s worth making a reservation ahead—yes, you do need that, both times during my visit to Nara, the place was fully booked, either you need to wait for hours or there’s simply no slots for you at all.