Nara, Deer View Mirror - A deer's view of Nara.

11th August 2026

“TOKAE” Nara Lantern Festival 「燈花会」

For ten special summer nights, Candle Flowers bloom across Nara Park. The “TOKAE” Nara Lantern Festival is held annually from August 5th to 14th, with some 20,000 candles brightening up Nara Park. “TOKA” 「燈花」― when the candle-wick after burning resembles a flower bud ― is a traditional sign of good fortune. The “TOKAE” 「燈花会」festival was created as an occasion for...

Events/Nara Park

10th May 2026

Fragrance Free at Restaurants

The Essentials of Japanese Cuisine are “Gomi” (the Five tastes), “Gokan” (the Five senses), “Goshiki” (the Five colors) and “Goho” (the Five methods of cooking). It is the essential duty of the chef to ensure that everything works well together to create a satisfying experience for the customer. The customer also pays respect to the chef and the beautiful dishes,...

Important/Restaurant

30th October 2021

The end of a 150-plus-year history

Probably Nara’s oldest book store is closing its doors for the last time on October 31st. KEIUNDO-TOYOSUMI SHOTEN (Keiundo Toyosumi bookstore) 「桂雲堂豊住書店」is on Higashimuki-kita shopping street. It started as a publishing business in Igaueno (Iga city in Mie Prefecture) in 1816 (registered officially in 1867), all the way back in the Edo era. The last owner passed away in August,...

Shop/Others

4th May 2021

Take note! Walking your dog in Nara Park.

Fresh green leaves can be seen everywhere in Nara Park. Many people come with their dogs and enjoying walking around. There is no ban on walking your dog in Nara Park, but please be aware of the following facts… First, Nara Park is a natural park, and the deer there are wild animals. So, there are many TICKS that can...

Important/Nara Park/Others

23rd August 2020

Hinoki Cypress Mask

Mt. Yoshino is famous as Nara’s most beautiful cherry blossom spot. In spring, you can see the breath-taking sight of cherry blossom covering the entire mountain. There are 30,000 cherry blossom trees in Yoshino. Since ancient time, heavy rains have nurtured this densely wooded area. In the 16th century, forest management practices were established. In Yoshino’s lumber industry, cedar and...

Shop/Others

11th June 2020

Making Ume-shu

The rainy season has just started in Nara. We call it “Tsuyu” or “Baiu” in Japanese, different readings of the kanji 梅雨. 梅 means “plum”, and 雨 means “rain”. As this implies, Ume (Japanese plum) fruit ripens in this season. You can see a lot of Ume fruit for sale at greengrocers and supermarkets. It’s also the season to start...

Seasonal/Others

24th April 2020

Staying at home …

We all feel a little helpless in the face of Covid-19. The least we can do is one simple thing: “Stay at home”. However, the food service industry is facing a serious depression. Many restaurants have shifted to provide takeout or delivery services. A couple of restaurant owners in Nara took the lead and made a “Nara Takeout” website. Any...

Others

14th March 2020

Tsukigase Bairin

Tsukigase Bairin ravine is one of the top three beautiful Ume blossom sites in Nara. More than ten thousand Ume trees are planted along the ravine. Ume (Japanese plum) blossom brings the fragrance of spring. The smell is somewhat similar to Jasmine, Gardenia, or Ylang-Ylang. In the ancient Nara period, Ume blossom was more popular than Cherry blossom. The Ume...

Others

4th March 2020

Quiet, Peaceful

Ordinary Life Don’t worry! The deer are being well fed, even without tourists here to feed them “SHIKA-SENBEI”.

Nara Park

8th January 2020

The Enzyme Bath

Enzyme drinks are very popular for health and dieting these days. Japanese enzyme drinks are made from fermented fruits, vegetables, and also seaweed. But how about an enzyme bath? The Enzyme bath is like a dry bath, using fermented wood chips instead of water. Fine cedar and cypress chips are fermented with vegetable enzyme, and heated to around 60~70 degrees....

Others