Hōryū-ji - Ikoma District

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge. Arrive early for free parking at the visitor center and expect to spend at least 1-1.5 hours here. There’s restaurants nearby. They have a decent English pamphlet inside the paid area which is UNESCO world heritage structures. To the west is the west round tower on a hill, with the hourly bell. The monk who rings the bell counts by moving rocks over. It’s cool. When he is not ringing the bell, he signs a special goshuin/seal. Inside the main paid area for ¥1500(combo ticket for 3 areas) is the Goku-no-tou “5 story pagoda”, Kondou “main hall” (with statues in honor of Prince Shotoku dating from 7th century) and Daikoudou “the lecture hall” with more original wood structures. These are the UNESCO worlds oldest wooden structures and Japans oldest 5story pagoda. Just to the east of the main area is the Shouryoin, “temple of shotoku’s soul where you can get 7 additional (8 total with west tower seal) goshuin. Each seal is ¥300. During covid only the main seal is being done normally. You can sit and pray here. Behind that temple is the Daihozoin, a galley of treasures included in your combo ticket. Just east of that gallery is a small area that requires another ticket. If you continue to the Far East side, down a long stone paved path you reach the last area on the combo ticket, Toin Garson,”the eastern precinct” with an octagonal pavilion “ the hall of visions” the oldest in japan houses a perfectly intact gold guided statue of Prince Shotoku, which is only opened to the public twice a year (4/11-5/18 and 10/22-11/22). Also in this area are quite well preserved painted sliding doors depicting Shotoku’s entire life. That’s the main highlights! Awesome place filled with history and lots of Japanese junior school history test questions!

World heritage, worth spending time there to enjoy its tranquility.

Impressive temple, the oldest wooden building in the world. We had a volunteer free English guide who explained to us in great detail the peculiarities of the place. Our entrance also included the visit to the museum and other buildings. It is much quieter than the temples in Nara park, and it just 30 minutes by local train from Nara (JR lines)

I was a little bit disappointed because they were preparing for an event and had a stage, chairs, etc in front of the main area. It obstructed the views and feeling of the place. I’ll have to visit another time.

We decided to stop by when passing through Nara. Great place with lots of history. I went there with my kid, so couldn't spend the proper time studying the different building and artifacts. It's a good one day visit!

One of my absolute favorite shrines. Some excellent examples of ancient architecture and it’s far away from Nara so you can escape the crowds. Some of the oldest wooden structures on the planet and one of the shrine that kept its style throughout the years. Don’t miss it.

It's the oldest preserved wooden temple complex in the world, definitely worth to see. The two pagodas are the main attraction, but the gate with the 2 guardians is nice and all the surrounding area with all the other historical buildings, park and museum (exhibits dating back to the 6th century, mostly statues) are beautiful. I suggest you to follow the tour guide inside the brochure that you get with the ticket, It makes you explore all the interests systematically, so you do not miss anything. I would reserve at least 3 hours (including a 1 hour visit inside the museum) to explore and appreciate the soul of this place. It's about 30 minutes walk from the train station.

The access is quite easy by bus, but if you have time, you can walk(20min) and can see pokemon sign like in photos. The entry ticket are 1500. Didnt go inside, maybe next time