The best things to do in Nara for January 2024 are around the New Year and towards the end half of the month. There are activities you can enjoy throughout the month such as winter illuminations in Kashihara and blooming peonies in Ikaruga. January is also time for the Wakakusa Yamayaki!
Best New Year Celebrations in Nara
For the first three days of the year, key temples and shrines throng with hundreds of visitors. Known as Hatsumode, these crowds create a festive buzz and in some locations there are food stalls selling tasty winter treats.
These are some of Nara’s more popular spots for ringing in the New Year:
Kasuga Grand Shrine and Todai-ji Temple
Omiwa Shrine in Sakurai
Hozan-ji Temple in Ikoma
Chogosonshi-ji Temple on Mount Shigi
For Omiwa Shrine, you can take the JR Manyo Mahoroba Line. Hozan-ji is a short cable ride from Ikoma Station. For Chogosonshi-ji Temple, change at Ikoma to the Ikoma-e Line, get off at Shigisan-shita, and then catch a bus up the mountain.
Don’t Miss Kannon Mantou-e at Hase-dera Temple
Hase-dera Temple is one of Nara’s jewels and famous for its 10 m standing Kannon or Goddess of Mercy statue. At Kannon Mantou-e Ceremony you can enjoy an evening spectacle of hundreds of lanterns adorning the temple’s long winding stairway. This event runs over New Year’s Eve until 5 am the next morning. For a 1000 yen fee you can enter the main hall and touch the feet of Kannon.
Address: 731-1 Hase, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, 633-0112
Hours: 17:00 to 20:00, Mon-Wed 1st‒3rd
Fee: ¥500 standard entry
Train: Osaka-Uehonmachi direct or change at Yamato-Yagi Station (also for Nara). It’s a 15 min walk down from Hasedera Station.
Oyumi Hajime Kyudo Event in Tenri (01/04)
At the Ooyamato Shrine in Tenri City, students from local schools and the Kyudo Federation will shoot their arrows in a ceremonial event. From 1pm there are limited free meals handed out on a first come, first serve basis and the arrow shooting starts from 1:30 pm.
Address: 306 Shinsencho, Tenri City, Nara Prefecture, 632-0057
Hours: 13:00 to 15:00, Thurs 4th
Fee: No charge
Train: From Tenri Station take a Nara Kotsu bus bound for Sakurai or from Sakurai Station take the bus bound for Tenri and get off at Ooyamato-jinya-mae. The closest train station is Nagara on the JR Manyo Mahoroba Line plus a 7-minute-walk.
Although not available in January and February, you can also Experience Japanese Kyudo for yourself in Nara City.
Kashihara Nara Winter Illumination (ends 01/31)
If you want to enjoy a little bit of casual modern illumination, then why not take the train to Kashihara City? The light-up is right next to Yamato Yagi Station. For New Year’s Eve the lights are on until 7 am the next morning. Other days it runs from 17:30 to 24:00.
Kashihara Jingu Shrine is also very popular over New Year and famous for its large Eto or New Year Animal painting. Kashihara-jingu-mae station is just three stations down from Yamato-Yagi.
Other Nara Cultural Events in January 2024
Chihara Otondo in Katsuragi (01/14)
Mid-month, you can head on down to Katsuragi to the Chihara Otondo. It happens at Kissoho-ji Temple in Gose City. This ancient temple is a National Heritage Site marking the birth site of the aesthetic En no Gyoja. The Chihara Otondo ritual is also an Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
It’s one of many traditional burnings of new year decorations. However, this festival entails burning 6-meter tall torches weighing 700 kg a piece!
The festival origins supposedly date to when the villagers of Chihara lit giant torches to welcome back En no Gyoja after he was banished on grounds of false accusations. English details on how to get there are on Katsuragi Syugen website.
Address: 279 Chihara, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, 639-2241
Hours: From 19:40, Sun 14th
Fee: No charge
All of Nara in One Weekend: Otateyama Festival 2024 (01/27-28)
Also known as the Chitose Hogu-Hogu Festival, this prime cultural event runs over 27th to 28th of January. There are exhibits and cultural shows that cover all the 39 municipalities of the Prefecture. You can enjoy numerous food stalls, purchase local specialties or souvenirs and watch traditional dances and performances. The event aims to showcase as much of the region's cultural treasures as possible with the 2 day event sandwiched between one the Prefecture's most spectacular events; The Wakakusa Yamayaki on Saturday evening.
Address: Heijo Palace Site
Hours: 10:00 to 16:00, Sat/Sun 27-28th
Entry: No charge
Bus: Catch the yellow Nara Loop Bus or from Nara JR and Yamato-Saidaiji Station there is a free shuttle.
Wakakusa Yamayaki (01/27)
Not to be missed is the annual burning of the grass on Nara’s Wakakusa Mountain. There are various stories about the origins of Wakakusa Yamayaki. The torch fire is lit at the Kasuga Grand Shrine and then carried in a procession by shrine priests and monks from Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples.
There is also a fireworks display before the burning and you can enjoy snacks at various food stalls. The event can be postponed in case of rain or bad weather.
Address: A short walk up from Nara Park
Hours: Fireworks: 18:15
Fire: 18:30
Entry: No charge
Nature with Flowers, Strawberries, and Dorogawa Hot Spring
There are many picturesque temples all around Nara Prefecture, and some even manage to pull off flower shows in winter! One such event is the winter peony show at Sekko-ji Temple. Winter peonies are cultivated under cute straw hats to ward off frost off the delicate blooms. Depending on the weather, they only last into the first 10 days of January. Mentioned above, Hase-dera Temple, alptly known as "The Temple of Flowers," also displays peony flowers is this manner.
Sekko-ji Temple
Address: 387 Someno, Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, 639-0273
Hours: 8:00 to 17:00
Fee: ¥400
Train: Take the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line, get off at Futagami-jinjaguchi Station, and it’s a 15-minute-walk uphill. From Nara, you have to change at Kashihara-jingumae and from Osaka the train departs from Osaka-Abenobashi.
Taimadera, another key temple of Nara, is just one station down.
Asuka Village Strawberry Picking
Asuka Ruby Strawberries are grown at waist height in greenhouses. They are very plump and tasty and various farms hold strawberry picking days. You can check the strawberry picking calendar (Japanese) to make a reservation. You can pick-and-eat for 30 minutes and also pay by weight for take-aways. Check the details on the Japanese website.
Address: Takaichi District, Asuka Strawberry Picking Park, Nara Prefecture, 630-0137
Hours: 10:00 to 16:00, Sat/Sun
Fee: Adult ¥2000, kids discounted
Dorogawa Onsen Discount Travel Deal
Winter is the perfect season to soak it up in a traditional Japanese hot spring or onsen. Nara Prefecture’s most prestigious hot springs are in Dorogawa, Tenkawa Village.
From Shimoichi-guchi station on the Yoshino Line you switch to a Nara Kotsu Bus. You can buy a special discount package that includes the train, a return bus trip, and an onsen discount ticket at major Kintetsu Stations. Enquire at the station or a tourist office for the Dorogawa Mitarai Valley pass (洞川温泉･みたらい渓谷散策きっぷ), or for any seasonal discounts they may have.
Winter Health with Japanese Sake (01/23)
At Daian-ji Temple near Nara City you can join the Sasazake festival. On arrival, you will receive a small bamboo cup and you can enjoy free rounds of sake poured from bamboo poles by Kimono clad women. This sake pouring honors the Emperor Konin (709-781) who cared much about citizens’ health and the sake is said to prevent cancer.
Address: 2-18-1 Daianji, Nara Prefecture, 630-8133
Hours: 8:00 to 16:00, Sat 23rd
Entry: No charge
For 800 yen, you can receive bamboo leaves sake (or water) and visit the halls
Bus: From JR or Kintetsu Nara Station take the bus bound for Daianji or Sharp-mae and get off at Daianji bus stop.
Thank you for reading Things to Do in Nara - January. February's article is in the pipeline.
Author: NARA Visitor Center & Inn