Naramachi

ならまち

An old street of Edo-period townhouses that grew out of the grounds of Gango-ji. Lattice-windowed homes, Migawari monkey charms, cafés and craft shops make it Nara's most lived-in corner.

Naramachi refers to the old district south of Kintetsu Nara Station, centered on Gango-ji. The area was once the vast precincts of Gango-ji, a major temple of the Nara period. After the temple declined in the medieval era, merchants and craftsmen formed a townsmen's district here. Today it preserves many machiya townhouses from the Edo to Meiji periods, which are narrow at the front, deep in plan, and built of wood with lattice windows and insect-cage windows. The narrow streets are lined with cafés, wagashi sweet shops, craft stores, sake breweries and small restaurants. Red cloth dolls called Migawari Saru (substitute monkeys, protective charms from Koshin belief that take misfortune in place of the household) hang at the doorways, and they are the emblem of Naramachi. Highlights include Gango-ji (a World Heritage site, where the roofs of the Gokuraku-bo main hall and the meditation hall still carry tiles from the Asuka period; admission 500 yen; the autumn bush clover and the stone Buddha groups are beautiful), the Naramachi Koshi-no-ie (a free, reconstructed townhouse where you can see the inner courtyard and lattice structure; closed Mondays), the Naramachi Museum (free, displaying Migawari monkeys and old signboards), the Imanishi House Residence, the old Harushika sake brewery in Naramachi (where you can pay to sample five kinds of sake), and many small shops themed on Nara sarashi hemp cloth, brushes and ink, and deer-antler products. Route: enter from the south side of Sarusawa Pond and wander the lanes around Gango-ji. Allow about 2 hours. The afternoon to dusk is best, since the shrines and temples close but the Naramachi shops stay open until about 18:00 to 19:00. Notes: most machiya are private homes, so do not enter them or photograph their interiors without permission. The streets are narrow, and cars do pass through. Many shops close on Mondays or Tuesdays. Naramachi is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station and makes a good finale to a day trip.

Naramachi

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Places to eat nearby