Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe, Osaka & Nara – 5 cities, 4 prefectures, 1 week – a whirlwind of a trip but it gave me a true taste of west Japan. I can’t wait to share my West Japan in a Week Itinerary with you, and I hope you’ll find it useful!
This itinerary will enable you to visit the key travel highlights with some hidden gems thrown in for each of these 5 cities – ideal for Japan explorers with limited time. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to let me know in the comments below!
- Day 1 of West Japan in a Week – Arrive in Hiroshima & Miyajima (plus a bonus Hiroshima hidden gem!)
- Day 2 of West Japan in a Week: Hiroshima & Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island)
- Day 3 of West Japan in a Week: Ikuchijima & Onomichi
- Day 4 of West Japan in a Week: Himeji Castle & Kobe
- Day 5 of West Japan in a Week: Osaka
- Day 6 of West Japan in a Week: Nara
- Day 7 of West Japan in a Week: Depart Osaka & return to Tokyo
Day 1 of West Japan in a Week: Arrive in Hiroshima & Miyajima (plus a bonus Hiroshima hidden gem!)
Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Hiroshima!
I departed from Haneda (always my preference being closer to central Tokyo!) taking the 08:40am JAL255 flight, costing ¥18,790 one-way. It took a little over an hour and I arrived in Hiroshima at 10:05. Now Hiroshima airport is MUCH smaller than I had expected. For some reason, I’d always thought of it as being a large city like Tokyo or Osaka, but actually it’s so much smaller and you’re able to get out super fast!
I thought I’d have to catch the 11:00am Limousine Bus but I was able to catch the 10:20! God bless Japan and its efficiency. I landed at 10:04, managed to pick up my checked suitcase at 10:08 (tell me, is there ANYWHERE else in the world where you’d be able to get your suitcase that fast?!). Bought my bus ticket (¥1,370) at 10:12 and was able to get the 10:20 bus into central Hiroshima – brilliant. I was quite apprehensive about buying the bus ticket, however there are ticket machines and it’s easy to use. You can check bus times using this website all in English.
The bus takes about 50 minutes and drops you off at Hiroshima Station Shinkansen Gate – very central. I decided to leave my suitcase in a coin locker at the station so I could get sightseeing ASAP! There were plenty available, although obviously during my travels there were far less tourists. Here’s a list of other coin lockers in Hiroshima should you need it.
Sightseeing in Miyajima
Getting to Miyajima
From Hiroshima station, take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi station, it takes approximately 27 minutes. From there, walk to the ferry terminal – don’t worry it’s easy to follow the signs and also just follow the people as a LOT of them will be heading that direction! It takes less than 10 mins to arrive at the ferry terminal, buy your ticket (360¥ return) or use your IC card to board. You can also use your JR Rail Pass if you’re an international tourist. The ferries run super frequently but you can check the timetable here.
There is actually another ferry company, Matsudai that runs to Miyajima, same price too (but for international tourists, you cannot use JR pass with them). After a beautiful ferry ride, you’ll have arrived at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Miyajima!
Miyajima shopping street & lunch
By this point, you’re probably hungry, and although you’ll want to run to the shrines, it’s best to grab some food first! As you walk towards Itsukushima shrine, you’ll walk down the Omotesando shopping arcade, full of souvenirs and restaurants. Don’t get distracted – head straight for one of the restaurants for an early lunch.
My personal recommendation is the set meal at Kakiya – a restaurant specializing in oysters, which is one of the famous foods of Miyajima! Extremely popular with locals too, this is the place to go to if you want to try oysters prepared in a variety of ways from fresh, barbecued to deep fried. Truly delicious! Also recommend their lemon soda, so refreshing! It cost around 3000¥ which I think is very reasonable for the quality of oysters.
Miyajima shrines & temples
Now’s time for some shrine and temple exploring. First, head to Itsukushima shrine where you’ll probably spend around an hour and a half exploring the complex.
Behind Itsukushima shrine and a short 10 minute walk or so up a slight hill is Daishoin temple. I recommend spending at least an hour here, and truth be told, I actually preferred this temple to Itsukushima! It’s surrounded by nature, contains a range of adorable, unique statues and you can also spot some deer there too! Without a doubt, I would place this temple in my top 5 as no matter where you look here, it is MAGICAL.
Spend the rest of your day exploring Miyajima – there’s plenty to see, or if you’re tired of the busy atmosphere (I imagine it gets super hectic during usual tourist seasons), read on for a quieter, more peaceful temple experience.
Make sure to pick up a tasty, instagrammable ice cream before ferrying it back to the mainland!
Mitaki-dera temple
Getting the train back, I jumped off at Yokogawa station to explore a local hidden gem called Mitaki-dera temple. The closest station is Mitaki but that involves changing trains so it was quicker for me to hop off at Yokogawa and get an Uber to the temple. Mitaki-dera is a delightful, off-the-beaten-path hidden gem of Hiroshima. I was grateful to my friend Georgia who showed me around, it really is a wonderful place for a bit of peace & quiet (that only the locals know about!). 100% worth checking out if you visit in autumn too!
Hiroshima central for dinner & hotel check-in!
After the temple, we grabbed dinner at a lovely little cafe called Chano-ma, where you get to sit on a bed with pillows! The perfect place to rest and refuel your body with healthy food after a day of exploring.
I then checked into my hotel – APA Hiroshima Ekimae-Ohashi, only a 5 minute walk from the station. APA are my favourite business hotel chain to stay in but you may want to stay in something more spacious if you’re an international traveller. Business hotels here are small, cheap, but clean, modern and always conveniently located, making them the ideal choice for me as a solo traveller on a time & money budget. For one night in a non-smoking double room, it cost ¥3, 861. This was extra-discounted because of the Go-To Travel campaign, it would have been ¥5,940 – still cheap! Singles are even cheaper, I just like the ‘luxury’ of a double room if I’m staying in a cheap hotel!
Day 2 of West Japan in a Week: Hiroshima & Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island)
Ready for a busy day? Wake up early, eat the included breakfast (not that bad!) and get ready for a day which will break your heart at the beginning but restore it by the end.
Start at the Atomic Bomb Dome
I decided to drop my suitcase at the station first and take a cab from there, but if you wake up early enough, you could get there by tram for much cheaper (¥190).
I arrived just in time to hear the start of the haunting chime of the Peace Clock Tower. It commemorates the time that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, chiming everyday at 08:15am. Without a doubt, I highly recommend being there to hear this melody. It sets the tone for what’s to come and it’s something you’ll never forget as you look at the remnants of the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Take some time to walk around the building and reflect upon the signs you come across. I also walked a little further away across the nearby bridge to see the view from there as well.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Which monuments should you see?
From the Atomic Bomb Dome, walk into the Peace Memorial Park, where you’ll come across many monuments dedicated to the various victims of the bombing. I decided to walk around to see almost all of them.
Ones that are particular must-visits in my opinion are: the Cenotaph, the Children’s Memorial, the Flame of Peace, and the Bell of Peace (which you can ring at certain hours of the day to show dedication to Peace). I also found the Memorial Tower to Mobilized Students, the National Monument to School Teacher & Child Victims and the Prayer Fountain particularly memorable.
Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall
Take at least half an hour to visit this memorial hall, entrance is free and for me this was the most heart-breaking part of my trip. Perhaps it particularly affected me as I was the only one there, so I could take my time absorbing the information presented.
The Hall of Remembrance there shows a 360 degree image of Hiroshima after just being devastated by the bomb. There are seats for you to sit and listen to running water as part of the exhibit too, the water representing an offering to the victims who cried out for water.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Visiting the Peace Memorial Museum is an absolute must for all visitors to Hiroshima to learn more about the bombing, both the lead-up and aftermath, and the impact on the victims.
It is without a doubt devastating, however for me I found the Memorial Hall more impactful, mostly because when I visited the museum there were many school kids on school trips which disrupts the atmosphere slightly. Entrance is ¥200 – I’m amazed it’s so cheap as it’s one of the most thorough, well-done museums I’ve visited.
Moving from Hiroshima to Mihara
Time to pick up your suitcase from the station and jump on the Shinkansen to Mihara station, which takes about half hour. I took the 12:03, arriving at 12:34 and rushed to drop my suitcase off at my next hotel.
I chose to stay at another popular, budget hotel chain conveniently located right opposite the station, Hotel Route Inn Mihara Ekimae. I booked for two nights, costing ¥11, 310 with Go-To Travel – such a bargain! Normally, it would have cost ¥17,400 which I still think is great value.
Why Mihara? After doing a lot of research on connecting train & ferry times to all the places I wanted to visit over Day 2 & 3, Mihara makes the most sense as a base location. It may not have too much to do there itself, but you’ll be out all day sightseeing in the vicinity anyway.
From Mihara to Ōkunoshima – Let’s explore Rabbit Island!
Head to the station and take the JR Kure line towards Hiro. I took the 13:11, arriving at Tadanoumi station at around 13:33. One thing to note, this is not Tokyo. If you miss your train, you will be waiting around 40-50 minutes for the next one, so it’s super important to be punctual to the station!
Getting off at the right station is easy as there are cute bunnies on the sign, and you’ll probably spot people with huge bags of hay and rabbit food on the train with you!
Exiting Tadanoumi station, follow the signs for the ferry terminal – it’s a short walk, about 5 minutes. I planned to take the 14:05 ferry so I had half hour to burn. There’s a small souvenir shop where you need to buy your ferry pass (¥620 return). You can also buy rabbit food (¥200 a bag, I bought 4 and also fresh leaves) and adorable bunny souvenirs too!
The ferry itself takes 15 minutes so you’ll arrive at around 14:20. To check the up-to-date ferry times, check this site.
Exploring Ōkunoshima – Rabbit Island!
Explore until your heart’s full of bunny love! I have so much to say about this location that I’ll be writing a more detailed, separate blog post, so please do check back soon.
When you’re ready to make the return journey, actually I’m not sure you’ll ever be ready to leave those cuties, but when you must, hop on the ferry back. I ended up walking around the whole island in 3 hours (relatively fast walker), and I got on the 17:16 back to Tadanoumi by 17:30.
Unfortunately the ferry & train times don’t align well… so you have to wait an hour for the next train, OR you can get the bus which takes around 40 minutes, which I recommend you do. The bus stop is on the opposite side of the road to the train station, it’s small, just a little lollypop sign marking it. The bus I took left at 17:52 and I got back at around half 6, not too bad!
Day 3 of West Japan in a Week: Ikuchijima & Onomichi
Getting to Ikuchijima (for Kosanji Temple)
Feeling refreshed and ready to see what has been referred to as the Disneyland for Buddhists? Head for Mihara’s port to take the ferry to Setoda. I got the 09:45 and arrived by 10:15 and it costs ¥840. Check the latest ferry times with this timetable, unfortunately it is in Japanese, but if you use Chrome you can translate it to English.
Start the walk to Kosanji, there aren’t signposts here so you need to rely on your GPS (Pocket Wi-fi is an absolute MUST for international visitors when traveling in Japan). It takes around 15 minutes to walk and you can enjoy the feel of a quiet, local Japanese neighborhood. I personally spent about 2 and a half hours here, however I was also taking photos & relaxing at the café for some time. You could, if pressed, explore the complex in an hour.
Hidden gems of Setoda
After exiting Kosanji, walk down the long Shiomachi shopping street. There’s a famous croquette shop which only cost ¥90 and I swear it’s the best croquette I’ve ever had. You can spot it as there’s so many photos of famous people all over the walls and it’s run by the sweetest , chattiest old lady! Wish I’d bought more as I’m still dreaming of them!
If you have time, I recommend walking up to Kofukuji temple to see some interesting little statues.
By doing so, you’ll walk past many of the lemon groves which smell divine! Setoda is actually the highest producer of lemons in Japan, pretty cool right?! You’ll be able to buy some lemon flavoured souvenirs near the port, including Lemosco (lemon-y version of tabasco!).
I also looked around Tenmangu shrine which had an interesting, eerie feel, almost like it had been abandoned by the amount of broken statues inside.
On to Onomichi
At this point, you’ll still have more time to sightsee the area if you’ve not gotten too sidetracked! I took the 14:00pm ferry back to Mihara, arriving back at 14:30pm (timetable here). I walked briskly to the station and managed to get the 14:44 train to Onomichi. It only takes 13 minutes – super quick!
After exiting the station, look for the bus to the ropeway ロープウェイ. This bus will take you to the ropeway station, you can also walk which will take about 15 minutes. I decided to take the ropeway up (¥320) as I’d be walking my way down through the temples and Cat Alley.
Senko-ji temple
The ropeway takes you to the top of the mountain where you’ll be able to see breathtakingly endless views of the Seto Inland Sea at the observatory. This place is also recognised as a Lover’s Sanctuary so make a wish for true love if you’re single!
As you start the descent down, you can walk along the Path of Literature, a picturesque little walk full of rocks engraved with poems and quotes (unfortunately no English translation though). You’ll eventually reach Senko-ji temple, said to be built in 806 by the famous Buddhist monk, Kobo Daishi. When people think of Onomichi, they think of this temple and it’s easy to see why.
Cat Alley
Continue following the path down from Senko-ji and you’ll see an impressive pagoda. At the pagoda, look for a path to the left marked with cats – that’s where you’ll want to go next!
It’s the perfect place for cat lovers! It’s so much fun spotting all the different cat memorabilia, paintings, signs, and not to mention spotting some real life furry friends! Admittedly, I’d expected it to be like Rabbit Island, swamped with cats, but this was not the case at all. In fact, I only met one cat in this alley! I saw far more closer to Senko-ji temple but perhaps I was unlucky that day. There are some cute stores and a Maneki-neko museum here, but beware they’re closed on Wednesdays. Of course that happened to be the day I visited, but I still enjoyed the general bizarreness of the alley.
Shopping at the Showa-style Onomichi Hondori shopping street
This was one of my favourite parts of the whole day! I LOVE Showa-style anything, and this retro shopping arcade will take you back in time. As I strolled down, amazed that some of these shops are still going, tons of high school students passed by me, one after another on their bicycles cycling through. It really felt like I’d been teleported into an old movie.
I also found one of my favourite pottery/random bits and bobs stores at the end of this shopping street. I could have bought everything (no joke) in that store. It was very well curated!
Back to Mihara to sleep
I recommend returning to Mihara to sleep as it’s convenient for taking the express Shinkansen the next morning.
Day 4 of West Japan in a Week: Himeji Castle & Kobe
Hopping on the Shinkansen to Himeji
We’re now half way through my West Japan in a Week Itinerary! Hopefully you’re not too tired, wake up early to check out and catch the 08:28 Hikari Shinkansen to Himeji. This Shinkansen is the fastest way to get there, only taking 63 minutes. When you arrive, store your suitcase in a coin locker, there are plenty here for you to use, so you shouldn’t have a problem.
Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden
When you leave the station using the North Exit, you can already see Himeji castle! No need to worry about getting lost! If your muscles aren’t aching, you can do the 15-20 minute walk, or you can grab a cab (like lazy old me, it cost under a ¥1000 so worth it to save those legs I think). When you arrive, you absolutely must buy the ¥1050 admission ticket that includes entrance to Kokoen Garden. Exploring Himeji castle took me about an hour and a half, unfortunately it was rainy when I visited but you could easily enjoy 2-3 hours here on a nice day.
Kokoen Garden, despite being a newer Japanese garden, is my personal favourite that I’ve visited. It consists of 9 different styled gardens, all inspired from the Edo-period. I would leave at least 45 minutes to explore Kokoen garden, longer if you wish to enjoy a spot of tea in the tea house.
After exploring, enjoy the walk back to the station, stopping in any little stores or cafés that take your fancy. I recommend the Kensington café for a quick treat!
From Himeji to Kobe
You have a few options here, you can take a JR train to Kobe or Sannomiya (a central location of Kobe) which takes 35-40 minutes respectively costing ¥990.
OR you can take the Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe station which takes only 16 minutes. A much higher cost however, at around ¥3500 depending on the Shinkansen type.
You can probably tell by now that when I solo travel, I prefer to choose convenient, cheaper places to stay. However, instead I’ll spend more on the quickest, most efficient travel routes as I want to get in as much sightseeing time as possible.
Choosing my hotel in Kobe, I decided I wanted one right near Shin-Kobe station for the Shinkansen. Because it was my last night of solo travel, as I’d be meeting the boyfriend the next day, I decided to choose a slightly better hotel, the ANA Crowne Plaza, costing me only ¥6,211 (would have been ¥9,555). Still quite cheap I think, and the room is much larger & more comfortable than a budget business hotel of course.
Sightseeing in Kobe
I enjoyed walking around the quaint little streets, feeling as if I’ve been transported back home to Europe. It made me realise how much I missed home! I was amazed at just how much European influence there is this in this city. It definitely strikes me as somewhere I’d love to move to in the future. The perfect fusion of Japan x Europe. I met the lovely Ratika (@machitales on Instagram) at Cafe de Paris, an authentically French gem!
(Outdoor seating is rare in Japan!)
I had been really hoping to look around the Ijinkan, former residential houses of expats in the late 1800s, however due to coronavirus we weren’t able to visit any of them. Definitely put them on your list though as they look incredible!
I also wanted to explore the port and see the famous view (which I recommend you do), however the weather was still very cloudy and rainy so we decided on the following plan….
Nishimura coffee shop
Due to the rain, Ratika took me to the famous Nishimura coffee shop (Nakayamate Honten) where we enjoyed a caffeiene shot and a cake. It’s such an adorable kissaten (Japanese traditional café), again with European influence.
Ikuta shrine
After caffeinating ourselves, we headed to Ikuta shrine, a must-visit – it’s one of the oldest shrines in Japan (said to be over 1800 years old!).
It was a really interesting mix of nature, traditional, older buildings and newer, more modern torii.
Nankinmachi – Kobe’s Chinatown
Transport yourself to China by exploring the sights and tastes of Nankinmachi. But try not to eat too much as you’ll want to keep some room for Kobe beef for dinner!
World-renowned Kobe beef dinner
After Chinatown, I took a taxi back to my hotel and I literally had the sweetest driver (in fact, all my Kobe taxi drivers were just so chatty!). I’m certain I’d be fluent in Japanese if I lived in Kobe! He gave me a few recommendations on where was best for a solo girl to eat for dinner & pointed them out as we drove past.
I decided to head to Mouriya Sannomiya as they have counter seats, which makes it more comfortable for me as solo female traveller. I went for one of the cheaper sets, the ¥5500 rump steak set as I’m not really a beef connoisseur so I didn’t want to waste my money. And it ended up being an excellent choice! So delicious, it literally melted in my mouth, made me wonder how the more expensive courses could taste. But I’ll try those next time!
Day 5 of West Japan in a Week: Osaka
Shinkansen to Osaka
As I was staying in ANA Crowne Plaza right next to Shin-Kobe station, I decided to take the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka station. Super fast taking only 13 minutes! It costs around ¥3000 depending on the type. You can also take local trains but this will take around half hour and you’ll have to transfer, which can be troublesome when you have a huge suitcase!
For this part of the trip, my boyfriend came to meet me so we stayed in somewhere more luxurious than my preferred cheap business hotels (he’s one of those fussier people who refuses to stay in them unless it actually is a business trip).
We chose to stay at the Westin – it’s conveniently located only a 4 minute train journey from Shin-Osaka to Osaka station (short taxi ride too!). I really recommend it for couples as we had the perfect romantic meal there on our last night in Osaka.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Our first port of call was Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan which I feel is the best laid out and most educational aquarium I’ve visited in Japan. Truly an innovative aquarium, each exhibit is based on different areas around the Pacific Rim. One thing I really loved is that several tanks span over several floors, so you can easily observe the animals in the different layers.
I particularly enjoyed the educational exhibit at the end which shows the dedicated approach to conservation Kaiyukan has taken. They also share the message of the Gaia hypothesis – “our planet and all living things on it are closely integrated with each other, forming a single organism”. Kaiyukan is also an inclusive aquarium containing a prayer room for Muslim visitors. Tickets are ¥2,400 and I would recommend a bare minimum of an hour and a half for this.
Namba Yasaka shrine
One of the most unique shrines in Japan, I just had to see this not-so-hiddem-gem-anymore for myself. Make your way to Namba subway station (15 minutes from Shin-Osaka station on the Midosuji metro line), and the shrine will be a short walk from there. If you visit one shrine in Osaka, make it this one. With it’s huge lion head shape structure, I guarantee you’ll never have seen anything like it!
Dotonbori
When you think of Osaka, the bright lights and hustle & bustle of Dotonbori comes to mind. I’d literally been waiting for the moment where I’d finally meet the Glico man for years & it didn’t disappoint! I loved this area of Osaka, so many bright neon signs and SO. MUCH. FOOD. I can’t express just how fun it is walking along these streets and spotting all the funny storefronts. Never seen so much creativity! Of course the must-eats are takoyaki and okonomiyaki so make sure you try those before leaving Osaka!
Shinsekai
For the evening, we headed to Shinsekai for dinner and wow this place is like none other, seriously. Built in 1912, the neighborhood of Shinsekai (新世界) means ‘new world’ yet rather ironically is one place I’ve visited where I felt I’d been whisked back to the Showa era.
It’s a too-cool-to-be-true place where you can easily while away hours playing in retro video arcades and pinball centres, watching old men play shogi, and exploring littwhere le eateries to try kushikatsu, the local specialty.
I recommend eating at the 70 year old Ohsho-Club in JanJan Yokocho for a truly authentic Showa-style kushikatsu experience. The food – delicious & good value, service – excellent, atmosphere – spot on. The perfect place for couples of a date, or for a small group of friends to eat. I’m already looking forward to returning one day.
After dinner we continued walking around, enjoying the atmosphere of Shinsekai until, eventually we got hungry again! We stopped in a Kushikatsu Daruma, a chain restaurant but highly popular, and with good reason!
One thing you may read online is that this is said to be one of the most dangerous, seedy neighborhoods in Japan, however it still thankfully is MUCH safer than most cities I’ve visited.
Little anecdote…
After our kushikatsu dinner with of course too much beer, as we went to play in another pinball centre, the boyfriend realized that he’d left his wallet in the previous arcade. Blade-runner style, we started running down the streets, frantically trying to remember where that arcade was, but our beer-riddled brains were useless at navigating through the similar streets. We must have looked a right sight to everyone! Eventually, we found the place where we were previously playing games and the wallet was still there, not touched! SUCH relief!
Of course, I’m not advocating for you to be reckless, but if you do suffer a mishap like us – hopefully you’ll also experience this wonder of Japan.
Day 6 of West Japan in a Week: Nara
In a few words when I think of Nara: deer, Buddha’s, pagodas, temples of a scale I’ve not seen before and did I mention deer?
Prior to visiting Nara, I expected it to be similar to Kyoto, with each shrine and temple having a special, mysterious charm. I didn’t quite get that feeling in Nara, as many of the temples felt a little similar to me, that being said, Nara is still a must-visit for your West Japan in a Week Itinerary and it has it’s own appeal. Besides it’s worth it if only to experience the swarms of adorable little Bambi, in a setting that can only be described as an enchanted wood.
It’s known that you go to Kyoto to see (beautiful, unique) shrines, in Nara you go to see Buddhist statues
something a friend said that rang true for me
An extra note – visiting temples and shrines in Nara is a rather expensive endeavour compared to the free ones in Tokyo, however I think they are worth it due to the history they represent. You can always choose to visit certain buildings that pique your interest most, don’t feel pressured to visit all!
Kofukuji Temple
We started off our day by visiting the famous Kofukuji temple, a temple that’s existed since 669AD! It’s a really impressive complex of several buildings and pagodas, my favourites being the Central Golden Hall. It was perhaps my first time seeing a temple hall that large (although I’d be seeing many more later this day!). I also enjoyed the Northern & Southern Round Halls here.
We also visited the National Treasure Hall, full of well, true national treasures! Definitely worth entering if you appreciate seeing Buddhist artefacts. The standout pieces for me were the Thousand Armed Kannon & the Kongō Rikishi. The intricacy of these is truly incredible and to imagine they were made from around the 12th-13th century just blows my mind!
We decided to pay to enter the Central Golden Hall (¥500) and the National Treasure Hall (¥700). If you wish to read more about the different buildings and get a preview of the artefacts they hold, check out the temple’s English page here.
Todaiji Temple
Todaiji temple is arguably the most important temple to visit whilst in Nara and is the one temple that will without a doubt take your breath away due to its sheer size!
Todaiji is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nara and contains the largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana in Japan. The Buddha statue was impressive, but to me, even more impressive was the huge building it’s housed in! To get an idea of how big it is, it was the largest in the WORLD until 1998 – incredible hey?!
It’s ¥600 to enter the Great Buddha Hall, a ¥1000 combined ticket with the Todaiji museum. Personally, we were all museum-ed out after Kofukuji and had a lot more on our schedule, so we decided to just stick with the Great Buddha Hall ticket.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
My favourite spot in Nara – a truly breathtaking place! The walk up to the shrine feels like a fairytale! SUCH Tangled vibes! You walk past all these moss-covered lanterns (3000 in total), with deer popping their heads out from everywhere!
Like many places in Nara, despite it being incredibly old with a rich history (originating in 768), it looks remarkably new due its historical tradition of having renovations taking place every 20 years.
You can enjoy the outside area with the beautiful stone lanterns in the wood for free, but entering the inner area costs ¥500. I recommend it though!
Feeding the deer at Nara Park
After exploring the shrine, we decided to feed the deer the shika-senbei – the absolute must-do activity when in Nara. They’re smart lil deer though, they know that human = food, and they won’t be afraid to run up and even shove or nip until you feed them. I even saw one man getting bitten on the butt!
Of course like many who visit, I wanted to get the ‘feeding the deer’ insta shot but I had two failed attempts! Both times I bought it from a small vendor and got absolutely swarmed by about 10 deer – the male ones are very pushy and I’m not lying, I was quite terrified! I ended up dropping my senbei in a panic and escaping.
Deer Feeding Top Tips!
- Only feed the deer shika senbei (deer rice crackers). Don’t feed them any human food as it can make them sick
- Make sure your own food (if you’re carrying any) is wrapped up in a bag so they can’t smell it, otherwise if you’re eating a snack they might try & get it off you!
- Avoid buying senbei from the tiny vendors if you can as if they’re surrounded by deer – the deer near these in my experience were much more aggressive
- Buy senbei from one of the smaller shops so you can hide the senbei in your pocket until you find a safe, quiet spot to feed the deer
- Choose to feed a single deer or a female with a baby deer far away from others
- Once you run out of senbei, show the deer your empty hands and hopefully… eventually… they’ll leave you alone
Once you’ve had your fill of the deer, it’s time to grab a quick lunch & then move on to explore the sights of Western Nara…
We decided to take a taxi straight to our next stop just because we were a bit tired already (about ¥2000). However for only ¥260 you can easily take the train from Kintetsu Nara station. Take the Kintetsu Nara line transferring at Yamatosaidaiji to the Kintetsu Kashihara/Tenri line, arriving at Nishinokyo taking 11-20 minutes.
Yakushiji Temple
Another element of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nara, Yakushiji contains an impressive main hall, a huge lecture hall and two symmetrically aligned pagodas.
Like with many of the shrines and temples in Japan, it has been plagued with many fires and natural disasters throughout its 1,300 year old history. Indeed, the impressive East Pagoda is the only wooden structure there to have survived all of them.
Inside the Kondo, the main hall you can also see the main piece of worship, which is said to be one of the most beautiful pieces of Buddhist art, the Yakushi Triad. It features the Yakushi Buddha and two Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings). Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside so you’ll have to wait to see these for yourself.
You may remember the Yakushi Buddha from my article on Nokogiriyama. It’s the Buddha of Healing, but unlike the one in Nokogiriyama, this one does not hold a medicine jar (that was a more modern addition to the pose of the Yakushi Buddha).
A temple with a familiar romantic backstory, the reason the temple is dedicated to the Yakushi Buddha is because Emperor Tenmu wanted to pray for the recovery of his consort (& future Empress) to recover from an illness. It obviously worked as she ended up outliving him!
The price to enter varies on when you visit. We paid ¥1,100 but check your dates and prices here before going.
From the Yakushiji Temple South Parking Lot, you can get the bus (98) to Horyuji Temple, our final stop for the day!
Horyuji Temple
Horyuji Temple is the first site to be awarded World Heritage Status in Japan and another truly impressive temple to walk around. In retrospect, I’m a bit annoyed with myself that I didn’t fully appreciate my visit here.
To be honest, I was quite ‘templed-out’ by this point, so if you have extra time in your itinerary, I would consider visiting another day.
Right, let’s get back to why Horyuji Temple is worth a visit. Inside this temple is the world’s oldest wooden building, the Kondo (Main Hall) which is over 1, 300 years old! The pagoda you see below is also significant being Japan’s oldest pagoda (& one of the oldest in the world). More intriguingly, it’s said to contain some of the bones of the Shakyamuni Buddha buried three metres underground.
After looking around for 45 minutes or so, we started the roughly 20 minute walk to Horyuji station. Although our feet were aching by this point, I really enjoyed the walk as you can see rural Japanese life, full of retro store fronts! The train back to Osaka takes about 50 minutes so you’ll have time to rest those feet a bit!
Dinner at Hanano in the Westin
Once back at the hotel, we spruced ourselves up & headed down to the Blue Bar for a quick pre-dinner cocktail!
We ate at Hanano which I highly recommend, even if you’re not staying at the Westin. It has a beautiful zen Japanese courtyard which branches off into four different mini-restaurants; Sushi, Tempura, Kaiseki & Teppanyaki – which is what we chose. Scroll through the below to see what we ate, the beef in particular was divine!
Our seat at the counter 
Ikura & tofu… 
Lobster, always delicious! 
The fish dish 
Fresh organic veggies beautifully prepared! 
Always thought it was just a cosmetics brand but actually it’s a good red wine too! 
A bit too much red perhaps? 
Steak on top of bread that’ll be toasted 
Seriously such soft beef 
Fried rice to fill us up! 
My first time trying persimmon
On to the final day of our West Japan in a Week Itinerary…
Day 7 of West Japan in a Week: Depart Osaka & return to Tokyo
Now we’re coming to the end of our West Japan in a Week Itinerary but we still have time to fit in a little bit of extra sightseeing before we depart!
Shinsaibashi – Amerika-mura – American Village
We decided to head back to the Shinsaibashi area for a bit more sightseeing and lunch. We started off exploring Amerika-mura – American village, or Ame-mura for short. It’s an interesting little neighbourhood full of American vintage clothing stores which attracts many young Japanese people for fashion inspiration. I imagine it’s also a popular place to let loose (pre-corona) with the many bars & clubs to choose from in the area.
Takoyaki time!
Some must-try foods in Osaka are takoyaki and okonomiyaki and it would be a sin to leave without trying them! We were annoyed with ourselves that we didn’t eat them on Friday as it was so much busier on Sunday! But on the upside we got to watch the vendor making them from scratch. It took about 15 minutes to queue up for these takoyaki at Kureoru but boy were they worth it!
Takoyaki or ‘octopus balls’ really is the quintessential Osakan food which you absolutely must try. They’re little pieces of octopus surrounded in batter topped off with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise and katsuobushi (fish flakes that dance with the heat).
After lunch, we decided to wander around the streets of Dotonbori and soak up the atmosphere before we stumbled across…
Hozenji Temple
Tucked away down a small alley, we came across this quite popular little temple with a rather fascinating history. Built in 1637, the focal point of this temple is this green moss covered statue surrounded by flames. Definitely an impressive sight to randomly stumble upon!
Why is it loved by many locals? Well during World War II this temple was completely destroyed leaving this sole surviving statue of Fudō Myō-ō. Fudō Myō-ō is a Buddhist deity who uses his ferocious, threatening looks to convert people into Buddhism. Luckily those ferocious looks have been softened by the bouncy moss.
So why all the moss? The story goes that one day an old lady came to the temple to make a wish. As she made her wish, she poured water over the statue. Her wish came true and now it’s become tradition for others who visit to follow suit. When you visit, make sure you too make a wish & splash the statue too! If you visit at night, make sure to check out Hozenji Yokocho. It’s a tiny little alley with proper retro Japan vibes, full of hole-in-the-wall local restaurants for you to try!
Relaxation & wellness retreat
If you’re feeling quite tired from this trip, or are just looking to pamper yourself, why not add on the picturesque castle town of Hikone in Shiga to visit a wellness salon? See this post of my relaxing trip to Hikone Dharmakur.
Time to say goodbye to West Japan…
Then sadly, it was time for our West Japan in a Week to end… We headed back to pick up our suitcases & then headed off to Shin-Osaka station to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo. We took the 15.09 which would get us back to Tokyo at 17.36 leaving us plenty of time to rest before work on Monday. Make sure to pick up lots of omiyage (souvenirs) for your coworkers at the station & grab a bento for the train!
I hope you enjoyed reading my West Japan in a Week Itinerary and gained some ideas of what to see and do. Personally, I found this itinerary allowed me to see all the main sights that I wanted to see in a time-efficient, affordable way, so I would definitely use it again myself!
If you’re inspired to visit any of these places or use my West Japan in a Week Itinerary, please feel free to tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your experiences! If you have any questions, of course feel free to reach out too or comment below.
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