Kōfuku-ji

The ticket is 900Y for both hall. I only visited the Central Golden Hall which is 500Y. To be honest, there's not much to see here. There are Buddha statues inside, but that's pretty much it. Compared of other temples. So, I give a rate of 3 stars. The location is right next to everywhere else you are visiting in Nara which is a good thing. There's a train station nearby, Kintetsu-Nara station in case you're visiting directly from Kyoto or elsewhere.

Koguku Jin is a wonderful place to see and interact with many deer up close. It’s a unique experience, especially for families and kids, as the deer freely roam around and are generally friendly. Feeding them is a highlight, but be careful when buying the deer biscuits—the correct price is 200 yen per pack, not 2000 yen, so don’t get tricked into paying more. Once you have the biscuits, expect the deer to come to you quickly, which can be both exciting and a little overwhelming at first! Overall, it’s a fun and memorable stop, but do come prepared with small change for the biscuits and be cautious around vendors. The setting is relaxing, and it’s a great opportunity to take photos and enjoy some time with the animals.

We visited Kōfuku-ji during our trip to Nara and were instantly taken by its serene presence and historical charm. Located just a short walk from Nara Park, the temple stands tall as a testament to Japan’s deep-rooted Buddhist history, once part of the powerful Fujiwara clan’s temple complex. The iconic five-story pagoda greeted us from afar—elegant and timeless. As we strolled through the grounds, we felt a sense of calm despite the presence of other visitors and curious deer nearby. The Eastern Golden Hall (Tōkondō) housed some impressive Buddhist statues, and although parts of the temple grounds are still undergoing restoration, it didn’t take away from the majesty of the place. What made this visit personal was the way Kōfuku-ji blended with the city around it. It felt like a quiet anchor amidst the movement of Nara—a place where you could pause, reflect, and appreciate both history and the moment.

Just a wonderful experience seeing the deer and getting to feed them. A word of caution to folks, these are wild animals and will act as such. I had one deer try and get into my pockets looking for food and one buck rammed the back of my leg.to get attention. Overall it's a great experience but generally when you look on line you see the deer bowing and looking adorable so I just wanted to let you know they can be aggressive

Nice little temple complex with three different paid admission sites. Make sure you go to the east gate first and get the combo ticket, otherwise you'll pay more to visit each separately.

We were in Osaka..and just outside Osaka at Nara is a deer park, dotted by numerous shrines. These shrines belong to Shinto religion of Japan. Also there are some Zen temples. Kofukuji is one of the many such shrines. The main attraction is the deer park because when you feed the deers with food like crackers they NOD - like a bow. And you can bow back.

Quite usual Japanese temple, nice but not really impressive. I wouldn’t say it’s something special-and tickets are quite expensive. Although, stuff is friendly.

There are five to six structures in this temple complex All structure are historical and religious places The temple complex includes notable structures like the Five-Story Pagoda, the second tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, and the octagonal Northern and Southern Halls. The pagoda has been rebuilt multiple times due to fire damage, with the current structure dating back to the 15th cent Kofukuji was founded in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi in Yamashina, Kyoto, as a chapel for her husband, Fujiwara no Kamatari. It was later moved to Fujiwara-kyō and then to its present location in Nara when the capital was relocated.