Museum, Gardens, and Kitamachi: From Nara National Museum to Isuien Garden, Shosoin, and Hannya-ji Temple

Beginning with a walk from Nara National Museum, this course tours two Japanese gardens: Yoshikien Garden and Isuien Garden. After viewing the exterior of the Shosoin storehouse, extend your journey north to Hannya-ji Temple in Kitamachi to see its National Treasure rōmon (tower gate) and thirteen-story stone pagoda.

History and Regional Appeal

One central pillar of this course is the treasures of Shosoin. In 756 (the eighth year of the Tenpyō-shōhō era), Empress Komyo dedicated items associated with Emperor Shomu to the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple. This marked the beginning of the Shosoin treasures, and the Shosoin repository is believed to have been built around this time. Today, the treasures are preserved in the West and East Treasure Houses, and a portion is put on public display every autumn at the "Shosoin Exhibition" held at Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum itself opened in 1895 (Meiji 28) as the Imperial Nara Museum to preserve, display, and assist in protecting the renowned treasures and heirlooms handed down in shrines and temples.

Another pillar is the gardens. Yoshikien Garden and the Front Garden of Isuien Garden sit adjacent across the Yoshiki River, both constructed on the former site of Manishuin, a sub-temple of Kofuku-ji Temple. Isuien Garden consists of the Front Garden built in the early Edo period and the Rear Garden built during the Meiji period. Yoshikien Garden took its present form in 1919 (Taisho 8).

To the north, Hannya-ji Temple stood on an important route from Kyoto to Nara, and for that reason its temple compound was burned down during the Siege of Nara by the Taira clan. In the Kamakura period, the Todai-ji monk Ryoe planned the erection of the thirteen-story stone pagoda, and subsequently Eison of Saidai-ji Temple revived the temple, with Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri) as its principal image. From Nara-period treasures to Edo and Meiji gardens and a Kamakura-period stone pagoda, eras shift with every step you take.

Key Highlights

• ​Nara National Museum​​: A national museum exhibiting and storing numerous masterpieces, primarily Buddhist art. Completed in 1894 (Meiji 27) and designed by Katayama Tokuma, the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall is the first authentic Western-style architecture in Nara and an Important Cultural Property. However, the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall is scheduled to be closed for renovation from September 14, 2026, until around spring 2028. The East and West New Wings serve as venues for special exhibitions and the Shosoin Exhibition, with the West New Wing hosting masterpiece exhibitions of paintings, calligraphies, decorative arts, and archaeological artifacts. From the south-facing windows of the West New Wing, you can view the Hasso-an Teahouse in the garden.
• ​Yoshikien Garden​​: On a site of approximately 8,900 square meters, there are three gardens—the Pond Garden, the Moss Garden, and the Tea Ceremony Flower Garden—as well as a detached teahouse. In the Pond Garden, centered around Horai Pond, you can look out toward Mt. Kasuga and Mt. Wakakusa beyond a small artificial hill. The Moss Garden features a flat garden covered with haircap moss and is home to a thatched-roof teahouse.
• ​Isuien Garden​​: A nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty Japanese garden. The Front Garden was created by Kiyosumi Dosei, an officially appointed purveyor merchant dealing in Nara-zarashi (bleached hemp cloth), and features islands built to resemble a crane and a turtle. Passing through a narrow flagstone path into the Rear Garden, your view suddenly opens up, incorporating Mt. Wakakusa, Mt. Kasuga-okuyama, Mt. Mikasa, and the adjacent Nandaimon Gate of Todai-ji Temple into the borrowed scenery.
• ​Shosoin​​: A large Nara-period storehouse standing northwest of Todai-ji Temple's Great Buddha Hall. It is one of the largest surviving azekura (log-storehouse) structures from the Nara period and is a National Treasure. It measures approximately 33 meters wide, sits about 2.7 meters above ground level, and has an overall height of about 14 meters. Only the exterior grounds of Shosoin are open to the public; entry into the building is not permitted.
• ​Hannya-ji Temple​​: A Shingon Risshu sect temple famous as the "Cosmos Temple." Its Kamakura-period rōmon gate is a National Treasure, and directly beyond it stands the thirteen-story stone pagoda, approximately 14.2 meters tall. The principal image, a statue of Monju Bosatsu riding a lion, was created in 1324 to pray for the direct rule of Emperor Go-Daigo and is designated an Important Cultural Property.

Recommended Route and Duration

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. Walking east from Kintetsu-Nara Station along Nobori-oji Avenue for about 15 minutes brings you to Nara National Museum. While the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall is closed, focus your visit on the East and West New Wings. The underground corridor connecting the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall with the East and West New Wings is a free zone open to everyone, even without an admission ticket.

After leaving the museum, walk about 250 meters northwest to reach Yoshikien Garden. First take in Mt. Kasuga and Mt. Wakakusa from the Pond Garden, then proceed east to the Moss Garden and the inner Tea Ceremony Flower Garden. Isuien Garden is right next door, about 80 meters northeast. After viewing the Front Garden just to the right of the entrance, pass through the flagstone path to the Rear Garden. Please check the schedules beforehand, as Nara National Museum and Isuien Garden have different closing days.

From Isuien Garden, it is about 700 meters north to Shosoin. According to Todai-ji Temple's directions, walk north past the Kanjinsho and proceed with the pond on your left to reach Shosoin. The exterior grounds are open only on weekdays and are closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. Please check the Imperial Household Agency's schedule for open dates. On days when it is not open, skip Shosoin and head north through Tegaimon Gate, located northwest of Todai-ji Temple. Tegaimon Gate is a National Treasure gate from the Nara period and the only surviving structure that allows you to imagine the monastery architecture of Todai-ji Temple during the Tenpyo era.

From Shosoin, it is about 960 meters north to Hannya-ji Temple. Because the rōmon gate faces the Kyo-kaido highway running west of the temple, first view the gate from the highway. For the return trip, take a bus from the "Hannyaji" bus stop back to Kintetsu-Nara Station or JR Nara Station, which takes about 12 minutes.

Experience Summary

Encounter the dedication to preserving shrine and temple treasures at the museum, enjoy garden vistas incorporating surrounding mountains, and gaze up at the grand storehouse that has safeguarded ancient artifacts. Finally, stand before the rōmon gate facing the Kyo-kaido and approach the thirteen-story stone pagoda beyond. It is a day of stepping through different eras, journeying north from Nara Park.