Covered Shopping Arcade Near Kofukuji Temple
Higashimuki (literally, “east-facing”) Shopping Street is lined with long-established shops. It is an arcade where you can experience Nara’s “omotenashi,” roughly translated as “extraordinary and sincere hospitality.” The street is close to Kofukuji Temple, a World Heritage Site known for its five-storied pagoda. All the stores face east towards Kofukuji Temple following the ancient dictate of the powerful Fujiwara Clan that once ruled the area. Higashimuki Shopping Street is only a one-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station.
We recommend you walk over to the nearby Sarusawa Pond where you can sit at a bench and relax while enjoying handmade yomogi-mochi from Nakatanidou, a well-known wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shop. Nakatanidou is at the intersection of Sanjo-dori and Higashimuki Shopping Street. From Sarusawa Pond, you can see the five-storied pagoda at Kofukuji Temple and the willow trees that are typical of Nara. If you’re lucky, you’ll even see one or more deer, the symbol of Nara, in the precincts of Kofukuji!
