Japan Guide
Nara
Getting around
The centre of Nara is small enough to be covered on foot, though you'll need to use local buses for some of the more far-flung sights – the main termini for these are outside the JR and Kintetsu-Nara train stations. Nearly all the timetables and route maps are in Japanese, but the one-sheet "Nara City Sightseeing Map", available at the tourist offices, has a summary of the most useful routes. The standard fare is ¥180 within the city centre, which you usually pay as you get on, though buses going out of central Nara employ a ticket system – take a numbered ticket as you board and pay the appropriate fare on exit.
If you're heading for the sights around Nara, there is a range of bus passes, of which the most helpful is the Nara Nishinokyō Ikaruga Furii-ken (¥1600). This covers unlimited travel for one day in central Nara and the western districts, including Hōryū-ji, Yakushi-ji and Tōshōdai-ji. A cheaper version, which excludes Hōryū-ji, is available for ¥810. A third one-day pass, the Sekai Isan Gurutto Pass (¥800), allows you to hop on and off a special sightseeing bus (daily late March to early June & Oct– Nov; Sat & Sun only early March & June to Sept) that covers Nara's seven World Heritage sights, including Yakushi-ji and Tōshōdai-ji. The advantage of this is that it takes you directly to the main sights and you don't have to wrestle with the city's public bus service; the disadvantage is that the bus only makes its rounds once an hour. The first bus leaves from in front of JR Nara Station at 8.57am. You can buy all of these passes in the Nara Kōtsū bus office (daily 8.30am–6pm), across Ōmiya-dōri from the Kintetsu train station.