OfficialThis weekendNara Tokae Lantern Festival
On 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
© かるちる · CC0When
Date
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OfficialThis weekend
OfficialUpcomingKasuga Taisha Mantoro Lantern Festival
Three 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
© Zairon · CC BY 4.0
OfficialUpcomingTodaiji Opening Hours & Admission Fee 2026 | Nara
Todaiji 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.
© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0OfficialUpcomingNara Basara Festival 2026
Nara's energetic summer counterpoint — vivid street-dance teams parade past Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha and Sanjo-dori.
2026/08/29 11:00 NaraFree
© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0
OfficialUpcomingNara International Film Festival 2026
A 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.
© DimiTalen · CC0
OfficialUpcomingShika no Tsunokiri (Deer Antler-Cutting Ceremony)
In a 340-year-old Nara ritual, shrine 'seko' wrangle wild stags with ropes inside a wooden arena before a Shinto priest saws off their autumn antlers.
2026/10/10 12:00 NaraAround ¥1,000 (adults)
© TR15336300101 · CC BY-SA 4.0OfficialUpcomingKasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri 2026
A 890-year-old festival whose daytime parade marches costumes from the Heian through Edo eras through central Nara.
2026/12/15 09:00 NaraFree
© Degueulasse · CC BY-SA 3.0
OfficialUpcomingMount Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (Yoshinoyama)
Around 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
© Tawashi2006 · CC BY 2.1 jp
OfficialPast eventNara Wakakusa Yamayaki
Each 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
© 名古屋太郎 · CC BY-SA 4.0
OfficialPast eventOmizutori (Todaiji Nigatsudo Fire Ritual)
Monks 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
© Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY-SA 4.0
OfficialPast eventNara Park
660 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
© shankar s. from Poona (pune), India, India · CC BY 2.0
OfficialPast eventHarushika Sake Brewery Tasting
In 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
© Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictions
OfficialPast eventNakatanidou High-Speed Mochi Pounding
Nara'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
© Ssemmanda will · CC BY-SA 4.0