Todai-ji (Great Eastern Temple)

東大寺

Todai-ji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site housing the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) — the world's largest bronze Buddha statue — inside the world's largest wooden building. It has been the spiritual center of Japanese Buddhism since the 8th century.

Todai-ji (the Great Eastern Temple) was founded in 752 CE as the head temple of a national network of Buddhist temples, and its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) remains the largest wooden building in the world — even after being rebuilt at two-thirds of its original size following fires in the 12th and 16th centuries. Inside sits the Daibutsu, a 15-meter bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha that weighs approximately 500 tons and is the largest bronze Buddha in the world.

The scale of both the building and the statue is genuinely difficult to comprehend until you stand inside the hall. The surrounding precinct includes the Nandaimon (Great South Gate) with its pair of monumental Nio guardian statues carved by Unkei and Kaikei in the Kamakura period — among the finest works of Japanese sculpture. The temple sits within Nara Park, where over 1,000 deer roam freely, creating a landscape unlike any other temple complex in Japan. Nara is an easy day trip from Kyoto (45 minutes by train) or Osaka (30 minutes).

Practical info

Address: 406-1 Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara 630-8211
Hours: 7:30-17:30 (April-October); 8:00-17:00 (November-March)
Admission: 600 yen (adults)
Nearest station: Nara Station (JR) or Kintetsu-Nara Station, 20-minute walk or short bus ride

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