Nara Tōdai-ji Great Buddha Hall Guide 2026: ¥800 Ticket, Seasonal Hours, and Deer-Cracker Safety

Nara Park and Tōdai-ji’s Great Buddha Hall are easy to add as a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka, but your day goes more smoothly if you confirm the hall hours and deer rules before you arrive. As checked on official pages on April 27, 2026, individual admission to the Great Buddha Hall is ¥800 for adults, and the hall opens 7:30–17:30 from April to October and 8:00–17:00 from November to March. Use this guide to plan Nara Park, Tōdai-ji’s Daibutsu-den, and deer-cracker etiquette from Kintetsu Nara or JR Nara. The deer are used to people, but they are still wild animals—so follow the official guidance. What to know first The Great Buddha Hall is open 7:30–17:30 from April to October and 8:00–17:00 from November to March. Admission fees are charged separately at the Great Buddha Hall, Hokke-dō, Kaidan-dō, and Tōdai-ji Museum. Individual admission is ¥800 for adults, ages 16–18, and ages 13–15; ages 6–12 are ¥400. The Great Buddha Hall and Tōdai-ji Museum joint pass is ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for ages 6–12. Nara Park is about 5 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Nara Station and 15 minutes on foot from JR Nara Station. Feed deer only shika senbei, and do not tease, grab, or harass them. Front view of Tōdai-ji Daibutsu-den in Nara with visitors Great Buddha Hall tickets and hours Tōdai-ji’s official page lists Great Buddha Hall hours as 7:30–17:30 from April to October and 8:00–17:00 from November to March. Hokke-dō and Senju-dō at the Kaidan-in are open 8:30–16:00. Tōdai-ji Museum opens 9:30–17:30 with last admission at 17:00 from April to October, and 9:30–17:00 with last admission at 16:30 from November to March. Admission fees are charged at the Great Buddha Hall, Hokke-dō, Kaidan-dō, and the museum. If you plan to see both the Great Buddha Hall and the museum, the joint pass can be bought at either the museum or the Great Buddha Hall. Audio guide and route planning Tōdai-ji says the audio guide rental point is about 15 meters past the Great Buddha Hall ticket gate, in front of the Chumon Gate. The rental fee is ¥500 per person. Languages include English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Vietnamese. No reservation is required for individuals, but groups of 10 or more must reserve. Reception hours are 10:00–17:00 from April to October and 10:00–16:30 from November to March, and the service may be canceled in bad weather. Nara Park and deer rules Visit Nara describes Nara Park as covering about eight square kilometers and including Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasugataisha Shrine, museums, and almost 1,200 deer. Another official Visit Nara page says around 1,400 deer live around Nara Park and are protected as Natural Monuments. The only food tourists should give the deer is shika senbei. Visit Nara also says not to tease or harass the deer and not to give them paper, plastic, or other trash. If you have no food, hold up empty hands—the deer will usually move on. Safety notes that matter Nara Prefecture stresses that Nara Park deer are accustomed to people but remain wild animals. Consumer Hotline for Tourists also warns visitors not to feed anything except deer crackers and to avoid excessive physical contact. Be especially careful around mother deer raising fawns from May to August and stags during mating season from September to November. If you feed crackers, give them one by one promptly and show empty hands when finished—especially when children or older travelers are nearby. Sources Tōdai-ji Opening Hours / Admission Fees Visit Nara - Nara Park Visit Nara - Nara’s Sacred Deer Nara Prefecture - Protecting the Sacred Nara Deer Consumer Hotline for Tourists - Nara deer safety Wikimedia Commons - Daibutsuden at the Todaiji Temple - Nara.jpg)