Walking Through 1,300 Years of Naramachi: A Glimpse of Life in Nara’s Historic District

Gangoji Temple, the starting point of Naramachi and the tour

The tour begins at Gangoji Temple, located in the heart of Naramachi.
Gangoji traces its origins to Hokoji Temple (also known as Asukadera), Japan’s oldest Buddhist temple, founded in the sixth century. When Japan’s capital was relocated from Asuka to Nara in 710, the temple was moved to its current location and renamed Gangoji Temple. Today, it is regarded as one of Japan’s oldest surviving temples.
The neighborhood now known as Naramachi developed around the precincts of Gangoji. The temple is therefore often regarded as the birthplace of the historic district.

Gangoji is home to three National Treasures. Among them, Gokurakudo Hall and the Zen Room are highlights that tell the story of the temple’s long history. Looking up at the roof from one corner of the temple grounds, visitors can see sixth-century roof tiles from Hokoji Temple, Gangoji’s predecessor, still serving their purpose today. The roof, where old and new tiles sit side by side, carries the marks of many centuries.
Over the course of its long history, Gangoji went through periods of financial difficulty, and its grounds are now much smaller than they once were. Even so, the temple remains a place that people continue to turn to.

Experiencing older ways of life through karakuri toys

Naramachi has many places where visitors can feel close to everyday life in the past. One of them is the Naramachi Karakuri Toy Museum. The museum displays traditional Japanese mechanical toys, known as karakuri toys, that reflect both the ingenuity and playfulness of earlier generations. Many of the toys may be handled and operated by visitors.

Some figures move by pushing and pulling wooden handles, while others are operated with strings. Although intricately crafted, they can be enjoyed through simple operation. Local staff often demonstrate how each toy works, and it is common to see both children and international visitors absorbed in trying them out.

Keeping buildings alive by continuing to use them

Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie is one place where visitors can see these buildings being put to good use. The word nigiwai refers to the liveliness that comes from people gathering together.
This facility, created by renovating a traditional house more than 100 years old, is open to visitors and has also hosted traditional cultural experiences, art exhibitions, and other events.

Stepping inside, visitors are greeted by tatami rooms filled with natural light and a charming inner garden. The space has a calm atmosphere that reflects the beauty of older Japanese homes.

Rather than simply preserving historic buildings, Naramachi continues to use them as part of everyday life. This is one example of an effort to balance the preservation of historic buildings with their continued use.

Naramachi’s streetscape, where history and daily life coexist

Wild deer have long lived in Nara City, and seeing them walking through town is part of everyday life. While walking through Naramachi, visitors may notice distinctive latticework made of rounded wooden slats. These are known as shika-goshi (deer lattice) or Nara-goshi (Nara lattice). They are connected to the traditional practice of deer antler cutting, which was once carried out in the town. The rounded shape is believed to have been designed both to protect houses from deer running through the streets and to prevent the deer from injuring themselves if they bumped into the lattice.

During the tour, a deer appeared from the end of a lane and walked toward the group. The way people and deer live side by side may be one of Naramachi’s distinctive charms.

Another common sight along the tour route is a red cloth amulet called migawari-zaru, or “substitute monkey,” hanging beneath the eaves of a house. The amulet takes the form of a monkey, believed to be a messenger of Koshin-san, a deity associated with protection from illness and misfortune. The monkey is intended to receive misfortune in place of the household and prevent it from entering the home. The tour also visits a small hall dedicated to Koshin-san.

A walk through Naramachi passes numerous buildings designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. Many are still used as homes or businesses. Long-established confectionery shops, specialty stores selling rice and beans, and restaurants operating in renovated traditional houses all carry on their daily activities inside these historic buildings. Everyday life itself is what contributes to the continued use of these historic buildings.

Connecting history to the future through gathering and continued use

A visit to Naramachi shows that history cannot survive through preservation alone.

People continue to live and work in its historic buildings, keeping them in use and caring for them as part of daily life. That living community draws visitors, whose presence has become part of the neighborhood’s ongoing life.
This cycle is what has allowed Naramachi to be preserved for 1,300 years.

The tour reveals Naramachi’s essential appeal: it demonstrates how local people continue to preserve and pass on the area’s history through everyday life.

• ■Tour organizer
  Manabi no Tabi Co., Ltd.
• ■Tour days
  Please inquire about the desired date. Tours may not be available during temple ceremonies or other events.
• ■Facility closures
  The facilities are closed on the following days:
  Naramachi Karakuri Toy Museum: Wednesdays and December 29–January 3
  Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie: Wednesdays and December 29–January 3; other temporary closures may occur
  Naramachi Museum: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
  When a facility included in the tour is closed, the itinerary will be adjusted by spending more time at the other scheduled facilities or changing the order of visits.
• ■Dates when tours are unavailable
  July 1–August 31
  Tours are suspended during this period to prevent heat-related illness.
• ■Tour times
  Please choose your preferred tour time within one of the following time slots.
  9:00–12:30
  12:30–17:00
  The tour cannot be scheduled to run across 12:30.
  The latest tour starts at 15:00.
• ■Duration
  90–120 minutes
• ■Fees
  April 1, 2027–March 31, 2028
  1–10 participants: Inquire for details
  11–20 participants: ¥1,500 per person, including tax
  Admission to Gangoji Temple is charged separately. For junior high and high school students, admission is normally ¥500 and rises to ¥600 during the special autumn period.
  Fees from April 1, 2028, onward will be announced at a later date.
• ■Group size and languages
  Naramachi course
  Group size and composition: Six or seven participants per group, with up to three groups, and a maximum total of 20 participants
  Available language: English
  Groups of 21 or more cannot be accepted.
• ■Reservations
  Reservations must be made at least 31 days prior to the tour date.
  Applications must be submitted in Japanese or English through a travel agency by email (manabi-jimukyoku@kirsite.com).
  Please provide the following information:
  1 Travel agency information: company name, name of person in charge, and email address
  2 School information: country or area where the school is located, school name, number of participating students, and number of participating teachers
  3 Preferred date and time: requested tour start time and end time
  Please note that documents issued by the operating company, Manabi no Tabi, such as the application acceptance form, final confirmation of application details, and invoice, are available in Japanese only.
• ■Cancellation policy
  The following cancellation fees apply according to the date of cancellation, calculated from the scheduled tour date:
  61 or more days before the tour: No charge
  60–31 days before the tour: 10%
  30–9 days before the tour: 20%
  8–2 days before the tour: 30%
  The day before the tour: 80%
  On the day of the tour or in the event of a no-show without notice: 100%
  The percentages above indicate the cancellation fee charged against the basic fee.
• ■Other notes
  In preparation for an emergency during the tour, please provide in advance the full name and mobile telephone number of an interpreter who can communicate with Manabi no Tabi.
  This information is required so that the tour operator can contact the tour escort.
• ■Website
  English: https://nara-manabitabi.com/en/