OfficialThis weekend© DimiTalen · CC0A biennial festival in the ancient capital, founded under Cannes-winning director Naomi Kawase, championing first- and second-time filmmakers across screenings set among Nara's temples and parks.
2026/09/20 10:00 NaraScreening tickets typically around 1,000-1,500 yen; some free outdoor and community programs.
OfficialUpcoming© TR15336300101 · CC BY-SA 4.0Dates for Nara's 2026 deer antler-cutting ceremony had not been announced as of September 18, 2026. It is usually held in October, but in 2025 it was scheduled for November 8–9, and the November 9 session was cancelled due to weather.
2026/11/01 NaraSame-day tickets only: adults (junior high and up) ¥1,000, children (elementary) ¥500 (2025 rates)
OfficialUpcoming© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0A 890-year-old festival whose daytime parade marches costumes from the Heian through Edo eras through central Nara.
2026/12/15 09:00 NaraFree
OfficialUpcoming© Tawashi2006 · CC BY 2.1 jpAround 30,000 cherry trees in 200 varieties blanket a sacred mountainside, blooming in waves up four zones from Shimo to Oku Senbon.
2027/03/27 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© 名古屋太郎 · CC BY-SA 4.0Each January, fireworks burst over Nara before the entire grass-covered Mt. Wakakusa is set ablaze in a spectacular winter ritual.
2026/01/24 17:30 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY-SA 4.0Monks brandish giant flaming torches along Todaiji's Nigatsudo balcony each March, showering sparks over the crowd in a 1,200-year-old rite.
2026/03/12 19:00 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© shankar s. from Poona (pune), India, India · CC BY 2.0660 hectares where ~1,200 wild deer roam freely among temples and lawns, bowing for shika-senbei crackers — a National Natural Monument.
2026/07/01 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictionsIn a Naramachi machiya once home to a Kofukuji monk, taste five Harushika sakes and keep the souvenir glass — sake from the very birthplace of Japanese sake.
2026/08/01 10:00 NaraFive-sake tasting approx. ¥500 with souvenir glass
OfficialPast event© Ssemmanda will · CC BY-SA 4.0Nara's famous mochi shop where two artisans pound steaming mugwort rice at blinding speed, then hand you a warm, soft yomogi mochi filled with red bean.
2026/08/01 10:00 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© かるちる · CC0On summer nights, 20,000 candles flicker across Nara Park's historic grounds in a serene sea of gentle light.
2026/08/05 19:00 NaraFree
OfficialPast event© Zairon · CC BY 4.0Three thousand bronze and stone lanterns are lit across ancient Kasuga Taisha, filling the shrine's forest paths with a soft golden glow.
2026/08/14 19:00 NaraSmall fee to enter the inner lantern corridors
OfficialPast event© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0Todaiji admission is ¥800 adult / ¥400 child; hours run 7:30–17:30 Apr–Oct (8:00–17:00 Nov–Mar, as of July 2026). This page also covers the Aug 15, 2026 Manto Kuyoe evening, when thousands of lanterns light the Great Buddha Hall and the Kannomado window opens so the Buddha's face is visible from outside.
2026/08/15 19:00 NaraThe Manto Kuyoe evening service itself is a religious observance and is generally viewed from the precinct; on ordinary days, Daibutsuden admission is ¥800 adult / ¥400 child, or a joint Daibutsuden + Todaiji Museum pass ¥1,200 adult / ¥600 child (as of July 2026). Confirm any special-evening entry arrangements on the official site.
OfficialPast event© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0Nara's energetic summer counterpoint — vivid street-dance teams parade past Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha and Sanjo-dori.
2026/08/29 11:00 NaraFree