Nara, Japan, Was Simply Named the Metropolis With the Most Hidden Gems

In 2024, Japan welcomed 36.87 million guests. Most individuals who come to Japan usually spend their time exploring Tokyo or Kyoto, and whereas there’s nothing improper with that, the nation has a lot to supply to those that enterprise off the standard, well-trodden vacationer paths.

A latest examine by Bounce—a baggage storage community with drop-off places throughout the globe—sought to pinpoint the place Japan’s most ignored locations are. After constructing a listing of Japan’s most populous cities, it used data from journey websites like The Invisible Vacationer and Japan Journey Professionals to find out the share of hidden gem sights in every metropolis and area. It then used Tripadvisor opinions, and different digital instruments to search out out which locations had the very best variety of “glorious” opinions.

After evaluating all the information, it discovered that Nara was the Japanese metropolis with probably the most hidden gems.

Nara Metropolis (the capital of the eponymous prefecture of Nara) is house to just a little over 367,000 folks and is positioned simply 20 miles east of Osaka and 28 miles southeast of Kyoto. It’s well-connected to each through trains and buses, making it a simple choice for a day journey.

The charming metropolis is maybe greatest identified for the 1,400 wild deer who roam round Nara Park and bow for treats. Legend has it that in historic occasions, the Japanese god of thunder got here to Nara on a white deer, and the descendants of that deer now populate the city’s park—they have been cherished as “messengers of the gods” for greater than 1,000 years and are actually protected “Pure Monuments.”

Nonetheless, understand that though Nara Park is a well-liked (and lovely) photograph hotspot, the deer are nonetheless wild animals and should be handled with respect. Do not feed them something apart from the deer crackers which can be out there for buy, and be aware of your litter. In 2019, 9 deer died after consuming plastic baggage and wrappers that weren’t correctly disposed of.

Even be cautious that deer are sensible and know when you have got cookies. “Throughout my go to, I discovered the deer can typically swarm you in the event that they see you holding baggage of cookies,” Susmita Baral, a senior editor at Journey + Leisure stated. “You will see some with shaved off antlers—they’re those prone to headbutt you for a deal with. It is protected however simply be aware that these are wild animals.”

Most guests to Nara cease by the park after which head on their strategy to Kyoto or Osaka, however with over 499 sights inside metropolis limits, there’s a lot to do right here. Nara is house to a few of probably the most beautiful temples in Japan in addition to a number of lovely gardens and shrines. The Buddhist temple Yakushi-ji is taken into account to be some of the essential and oldest temples in Japan, and dates again to the late seventh century. On the sting of city close to the Kasugayama Primeval Forest, you’ll find Kasuga Taisha, Nara’s most celebrated Shinto shrine, which is known for its eye-catching cypress body and its beautiful hanging lanterns.

Within the examine, Nara was adopted by Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Takamatsu—all of that are conveniently related to Tokyo through the Shinkansen, aka Japan’s bullet practice system.

For the total checklist of locations, try bounce.com.