DO SOMETHING IN NARA
Make it part of your story.
These are activities you can participate in, offered by named temples, workshops and local operators. Check each provider's current conditions before booking or travelling.
18 experiences in this preview
Copy the Myōken mantra at Hōrin-ji
Join a monthly copying session for 104 characters from a Buddhist text associated with Myōken at a temple in Ikaruga.
Read the experience guideWalk the Kaidan-meguri passage at Shigisan
Enter the unlit passage beneath the main hall and follow its wall to a lock associated with a wish-granting jewel.
Read the experience guideRequest a Shinto prayer at Ikoma Taisha
Arrange a reserved Shinto prayer at the foot of Mount Ikoma, with the ritual and offering set by your purpose.
Read the experience guideTry Ajikan meditation at Fukuin Temple
Request an introduction to Ajikan, a Shingon Buddhist meditation practice, at a small temple in Takabatake.
Read the experience guideCopy the Kōmyō Mantra at Fukuin Temple
Request a one-hour Kōmyō Mantra copying session at Fukuin Temple in Takabatake.
Read the experience guideBlend curry powder at Kikuoka
Build a personal curry-powder blend from food-grade spices in a Naramachi pharmacy.
Read the experience guideMake a Nara fan with Ikeda Gankodo
Book a two-hour session in Nara's openwork fan tradition, with later collection or shipping.
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Trace a sutra at Yakushi-ji
Take a seat in the temple's writing hall and trace Buddhist scripture at your own pace.
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Make persimmon-leaf sushi with Hiraso
Learn how Nara's leaf-wrapped sushi is assembled, then make a set yourself.
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Paint Akahada ware in Nishinokyo
Try a short decorative painting session on Nara's Akahada ceramic ware.
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Explore Menfudo Limestone Cave
Walk through a managed limestone cave above Dorogawa, with a mountain-town view outside.
Read the experience guideBake Soni rice bread at Okome-no-yakata
A pre-booked group lesson using rice from Soni Village, outside the autumn peak season.
Read the experience guideTrace a sutra or Buddhist image at Eisan-ji
Join a temple copying practice by the Yoshino River, with a separate admission fee.
Read the experience guideShape Nara ink with Kobaien
Book a winter-season chance to shape a soft sumi ink stick prepared by a Nara ink maker.
Read the experience guideFinish a Nara writing brush with Tanaka
Shape a brush tip or assemble its shaft and tip with a Nara craftsperson, then take the finished brush home.
Read the experience guideMake kudzu-kiri at Nakai Shunpudo's Kudzu-kai
Taste Yoshino kudzu in several forms, watch the maker, then prepare kudzu-kiri yourself in a small-group session.
Read the experience guideCopy a sutra or trace a Buddhist image at Sakuramotobō
Arrange a ninety-minute writing or image-tracing session inside a working Yoshino Shugendō temple.
Read the experience guideWatch a tea master prepare matcha at Taiseian
Book the overseas-visitor tea service near Hōryū-ji, beginning at Waikaru's reception rather than the tea-room door.
Read the experience guideSome images are AI-generated activity illustrations. The My Nara logo marks a pending photograph. None is an operator photograph. Availability, language support and prices are controlled by each provider.