Information as at 18 August 2026

This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI

It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.

Moving to Nara City

Q: What should I know first about moving to Nara?

A prefectural capital of 343,905 people and 276.94 km², stretched sideways across 33.51 km east to west. The western half is flat, built-up town; the eastern half is highland 200 to 600 metres up, and life there is another thing entirely.

Q: Which part of Nara should I live in?

The 442 on the market fall into seven parts of the city, and the medians spread 3.6 times over, from ¥9,500,000 in the east (Tsuge and Tsukigase) to ¥33,800,000 in the northwest (Tomigaoka and Oshikuma). The most under ¥10,000,000 are in the south (Kyobate and Obitoke), 22 of 71 (31%).

Q: What is the cheapest house you can buy in Nara?

There are 442 second-hand detached houses on SUUMO, from ¥1,800,000 to ¥350,000,000, median ¥26,850,000. 63 (14%) are under ¥10,000,000, and the median plot is 209 square metres.

Q: Is the disaster risk high in Nara?

It is designated an area for the promotion of Nankai Trough earthquake disaster measures, and at the city hall site the chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years is 64.3%, and of 6-upper or above 21.0%. But that is the figure for the 250-metre square the city hall stands on, so when a property interests you, look at J-SHIS for that address.

Q: Is winter cold in Nara? Does it snow?

The January daily low is 0.8℃, only 0.4℃ lower than Tokyo, and days that stay below freezing come to 0.0. Snowfall totals 5 cm a year and the deepest snow is 3 cm, so on the flat it hardly settles at all (the east, at 339 to 475 m, is colder than the flat).

Q: How does emergency medical care work in Nara?

At night and at weekends you go first to the municipal holiday and night emergency clinic (519-28 Kashiwagi-cho, Nara City / 0742-34-1228), and anything serious falls to the three critical care centres in the prefecture. If you are unsure, “#7119” takes calls 24 hours a day.

Q: What do water and sewerage cost in Nara?

On a 20 mm connection it is ¥6,402 for 20 m³ in a month (¥12,804 for 40 m³ over two months), and on a 13 mm connection ¥5,621 a month (¥11,242 over two months). Sewerage charges were revised from the fifth month of Reiwa 2, when a base charge of ¥165 was added.

Q: What is happening to Nara's population?

343,905 people in 169,427 households (1 April of Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register), 2.03 people per household. 10.6% are aged 0 to 14 and 32.7% are 65 or over, and 85.5% of the population lives on 16.5% of the city’s area (the densely inhabited district).

At the northern edge of the Nara Basin, a prefectural capital that borders Kyoto Prefecture. From JR Nara Station it is 48 minutes and ¥720 to Kyoto, 52 minutes and ¥840 to Osaka, and 33 minutes and ¥510 to Tennoji — none of them with a change of train. The city puts it this way itself: “within an hour, and without changing trains, you can travel to and from the metropolitan areas of Osaka and Kyoto, and to Kyoto Station and Shin-Osaka Station for the shinkansen”. It is a town with the eight component sites of the World Heritage “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”, among them Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji and Kasuga Taisha, a population of 343,905 and an area of 276.94 km². The city runs 33.51 km east to west, and its eastern end is the Yamato Highland, 200 to 600 metres above sea level. There are 442 second-hand detached houses on the market. All 442 were counted. ¥1,800,000 to ¥350,000,000, median ¥26,850,000, with 63 (14%) under ¥10,000,000. And — from 7 July 2026, a household with children whose head is 39 or under gets up to ¥400,000 towards buying a house (§14).

Homes for sale

442 listings

¥1,800,000– / median ¥26,850,000

Kyoto Sta.,

48 min

¥720, no change (JR Nara Station)

Osaka Sta.,

52 min

¥840, no change (Yamatoji Rapid)

Population

343,905 people

169,427 households, Reiwa 8 (2026), 4/1

City area

276.94km²

33.51 km east to west, 22.22 km north to south

Intensity 6-lower or above in 30 years

64.3%

At the city hall site, back marsh

Summer (August daily high)

33.4℃

Nara — 2.1℃ higher than Tokyo

Winter (January daily low)

0.8℃

Nara — 0.4℃ lower than Tokyo

🚗 Roadside stations ⛰ National and quasi-national parks ♨ Hot springs and day baths12 🐕 Dog runs 🚐 RV parks4

Roadside stations: Hari T·R·S / National and quasi-national parks: Yamato-Aogaki Quasi-National Park / Hot springs and day baths: Hinode-yu, La Royal Spa, Ume-no-Sato, Shikishima Onsen, Yurara-no-Yu Oshikuma, Hanazono Shin-Onsen, Hari Onsen Land, Nishiki-yu, Yurara-no-Yu Nara, Tsuge Welfare Centre, Ryosen-ji head temple, Asahi Onsen / Dog runs: Akahadayama Dog Run, Floriade Nara / RV parks: RV Park Koto Sakura-no-Niwa Nara Todai-ji Ura, RV Park Romantopia Tsukigase, RV Park Light Heijokyo Suzakumon Hiroba, RV Park Light Yamato-no-Sato Tomio Nakamachi
Sources: roadside stations from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism list of “michi-no-eki” (checked 2026-08-21); national and quasi-national parks judged from Ministry of the Environment boundary data and the like (details of sources in §17) (checked 2026-08-21); hot springs and day baths from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (checked 2026-08-20); dog runs from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (checked 2026-08-20); RV parks from Japan RV Association, list of certified “Kurumatabi” RV parks (checked 2026-08-20). 🔴 Only the things a town has are listed — it does not mean that a town without them is worse.

Last verified 2026-08-18

CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Nara is

At the northern tip of Nara Prefecture, a prefectural capital that borders Kyoto Prefecture. Population 343,905 in 169,427 households (1 April of Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register), area 276.94 km², or nearly 7.5% of the prefecture. It runs 33.51 km east to west and 22.22 km north to south, long from east to west, and the eastern half is highland 200 to 600 metres above sea level.

One city holds both the Heijo capital and a highlandThe city measures 33.51 km east to west, 22.22 km north to south and 162.25 km around. It writes that “the districts east of the Kasugayama Primeval Forest lie 200 to 600 metres above sea level”, and at the eastern end stands Mount Kaigahira (822 m), the highest peak of the Yamato Highland. The western half is the flat land of the Nara Basin, and 85.5% of the population lives on 16.5% of the city’s area (the densely inhabited district). Within one “Nara City”, a lowland town and highland hamlets live side by side.

In the 120-odd years since it became a city, its area has grown twelvefoldIt was incorporated as a city on 1 February 1898 (Meiji 31), with an area then of 23.44 km². One merger in the Taisho era, five in Showa and one in Heisei later, it is now 276.94 km², about 12 times as large. The most recent was the merger with the villages of Tsukigase and Tsuge in 2005 (Heisei 17), which brought the eastern highland into the city. In April 2002 (Heisei 14) it became the 29th core city in the country.

Eight World Heritage sites, all within one city

In December 1998 (Heisei 10), the eight component sites of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara” — Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, the Kasugayama Primeval Forest, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji and the Heijo Palace site — were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The city says it “is building the town around its World Heritage”. In 1950 (Showa 25) the “Act on the Construction of Nara as an International Culture and Tourism City” was passed after a local referendum, making it law that the city should be built on the value of its culture and tourism. Because it escaped serious damage in the Second World War, its nature and its cultural properties survived intact — that is how the city explains what Nara became.

Source:Nara City, “1. Overview of the city” (PDF)(history; area 276.94 km²; 33.51 km east to west, 22.22 km north to south, 162.25 km around; 7.5% of the prefecture’s total area; 200 to 600 m above sea level, Mount Kaigahira 822 m; 23.44 km² at incorporation; transition to core city; densely inhabited district 16.5% and 85.5%). Population and households fromthe same, “Population for the fourth month of Reiwa 8”, aggregated from the data by administrative district. Checked 2026-08-18

Map of Nara City

You can zoom and pan. The marker is Nara city hall. The town and the railways gather on the flat land to the west (left), and the further east (right) you go the higher the ground rises into highland. To the north (top) is Kyoto Prefecture, right there.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

What should I know first about moving to Nara?

A prefectural capital of 343,905 people and 276.94 km², stretched sideways across 33.51 km east to west. The western half is flat, built-up town; the eastern half is highland 200 to 600 metres up, and life there is another thing entirely.

CHAPTER 02Seven areas, and life in each

The city itself divides its territory in two, a “western area” and an “eastern area”, the eastern being the seven districts of Tawara, Yagyu, Oyagyu, Sagawa, Higashisato, Tsuge and Tsukigase. Here we have divided it into seven by where all 442 houses on the market actually are. The medians spread 3.6 times over, from ¥9,500,000 to ¥33,800,000.

West: Gakuemmae and Tomio (the Kintetsu Nara Line) — the most properties129 (¥4,500,000 to ¥350,000,000, median ¥29,800,000, 11 under ¥10,000,000). Elevation 72 to 178 m (median 117). Nearest stations: Tomio 55, Gakuemmae 45, Ayameike 24. The Kintetsu Nara Line runs through to Osaka-Namba, Kyoto and Kobe-Sannomiya, and housing carved out of the hills runs along it. 29% of the city’s houses for sale are here.
Suits = anyone commuting to Osaka, or wanting a settled residential area
Worth knowing = 40 of the 129 are from 1981 or earlier (31%), the highest share of the seven. On hillside estates the price falls with the age of the development

Northwest: Tomigaoka and Oshikuma (the Keihanna Line) — the highest median86 (¥8,800,000 to ¥178,000,000, median ¥33,800,000, the highest in the city, 3 under ¥10,000,000). Elevation 87 to 146 m (median 122). Nearest stations: Gakuemmae 41, Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka 27, Gakken-Kita-Ikoma 5. 🔴 Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka is the end of the Kintetsu Keihanna Line, so trains start there, and it runs through onto the Osaka Metro Chuo Line — Hommachi and Sakaisujihommachi without a change (§3). Median land 239 m² and building 129 m², the largest of the seven.
Suits = anyone who wants a seat on the morning train to Osaka, or a newer, larger house
Worth knowing = this is the most expensive part of the city. Only 3 of the 86 are under ¥10,000,000

South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke) — the cheapest and the newest71 (¥1,800,000 to ¥49,800,000, median ¥22,500,000, 22 under ¥10,000,000 = 31%). Elevation 53 to 105 m (median 73). Nearest stations: on the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate 31 and Obitoke 8. The median year built is 1999, the newest of the seven. Median land 132 m², on the small side.
Suits = anyone keeping the budget as low as possible, or moving towards Oji and Takada by JR
Worth knowing = the JR Sakurai Line does not run often. Look at the timetable first

Nishinokyo and Saidaiji (the Kintetsu Kashihara Line) — at the temple gates of a World Heritage site56 (¥2,800,000 to ¥134,800,000, median ¥19,850,000, the lowest of the seven, 9 under ¥10,000,000). Elevation 57 to 101 m (median 82). Nearest stations: Kintetsu Nishinokyo 25, Yamato-Saidaiji 8, Amagatsuji 7. Yakushi-ji and Toshodai-ji are here, and Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji is the interchange where the Nara Line meets the Kashihara and Kyoto Lines.
Suits = anyone who wants to reach both Kyoto and Osaka, or to keep the budget down
Worth knowing = around the Heijo Palace site there are zones with limits on height and form. Check what rebuilding would allow before you commit

North: Heijo and Takanohara (the Kintetsu Kyoto Line) — closest to Kyoto49 (¥5,800,000 to ¥100,000,000, median ¥26,800,000, 3 under ¥10,000,000). Elevation 53 to 141 m (median 79). Nearest stations: Takanohara 22, JR Narayama 13. The Heijo and Soraku new town, laid out from the 1970s, spreads across it, and 4 of the 49 are from 1981 or earlier (8%), the fewest of the seven.
Suits = anyone commuting to Kyoto, or looking for a newer house
Worth knowing = it runs straight into Kizugawa City in Kyoto Prefecture. Schools and shops sit across the city boundary, so check it against how you would actually live

Central (Kintetsu-Nara, Shin-Omiya, JR Nara) — World Heritage and the office both on foot38 (¥4,600,000 to ¥150,000,000, median ¥22,800,000, 6 under ¥10,000,000). Elevation 59 to 142 m (median 73). Nearest stations: Kintetsu-Nara 19, Shin-Omiya 15. Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Nara Park and Naramachi are all in this part, and so are the city hall, the prefectural office and the central library.
Suits = anyone who wants to live without a car, or who would enjoy living inside a sightseeing district
Worth knowing = at 38, there is not much coming up. You will be looking on the assumption of a wait

East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase) — highland above 300 m13 (¥2,500,000 to ¥29,800,000, median ¥9,500,000, 9 under ¥10,000,000 = 69%). Elevation 92 to 475 m (median 417), a full step above the other six. These are the former villages of Tsuge and Tsukigase, merged into the city in 2005, and the home of Yamato tea. Median land 330 m², the widest of all. The city presents the east as seven districts (Tawara, Yagyu, Oyagyu, Sagawa, Higashisato, Tsuge and Tsukigase).
Suits = anyone who wants to live in hill country, or to buy a house with a field cheaply
Worth knowing = it is around 30 minutes by car to the built-up town. Winters are colder than on the flat. Drive the route to the shops and the doctor yourself before you decide

Prices, counts, elevations and years of construction are fromSUUMOlisted442 listingsall, aggregated. Elevations come from the coordinates carried on the SUUMO property pageseach listing's map coordinates through the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API (432 of the 442 have per-property coordinates). The city’s own division of the area fromNara City, “Access in Nara City (around the stations, and each area)”andthe same, “Country living in Nara City”. Checked 2026-08-18

Which part of Nara should I live in?

The 442 on the market fall into seven parts of the city, and the medians spread 3.6 times over, from ¥9,500,000 in the east (Tsuge and Tsukigase) to ¥33,800,000 in the northwest (Tomigaoka and Oshikuma). The most under ¥10,000,000 are in the south (Kyobate and Obitoke), 22 of 71 (31%).

CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around

Nara City’s strength is that “you can reach both Kyoto and Osaka without changing trains”. From JR Nara Station it is 48 minutes to Kyoto, 52 to Osaka and 33 to Tennoji, all with 0 changes. From Kintetsu-Nara Station, the city says, it is 40 minutes to Osaka-Namba and under an hour to Kyoto.

From JR Nara Station (JR West’s official timetable and fare search)

Destination	Fastest	Ticket	Changes	Train
Kyoto	48 min	¥720	0	Miyakoji Rapid (41.7 km)
Tennoji	33 min	¥510	0	Yamatoji Rapid (37.5 km)
Osaka	52 min	¥840	0	Yamatoji Rapid (47.0 km)
Kansai Airport	—	¥1,680	1	Yamatoji Rapid → Kankuu Rapid (83.5 km)

Services a day: 67 towards Kyoto and Kizu, 56 towards Oji, Tennoji and Osaka (weekdays). All fares are for the ticket alone.

From Kintetsu-Nara Station (the city’s own description)

The city writes: “Kintetsu-Nara Station is the starting point of a line that runs on to Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe-Sannomiya. Limited expresses and expresses stop here. By Kintetsu it is 40 minutes to Osaka-Namba Station and under an hour to Kyoto Station. Through services also make it possible to travel without changing”. Of JR Nara Station it writes that “at commuting hours the ‘direct rapid’ reaches Shin-Osaka in about an hour”. Kintetsu-Nara Station and JR Nara Station are within walking distance of each other, and the city explains that “being easy to adapt to when your workplace or school changes is part of the appeal”. Being able to use the two stations for different purposes is what transport in Nara City actually looks like.

Sources: JR journey times and frequencies fromJR West, “JR Nara Station timetable”(revision of 14 March 2026, searched 19 August 2026); fares from the same company’s “My Dia” search results. The standing of Kintetsu and JR fromNara City, “Access in Nara City (around the stations, and each area)”(2024-07-09updated) / Verified 2026-08-18

Driving

The city explains that “by car, the Meihan National Highway can take you to Mie or even Nagoya in a few hours, so it is in fact a very well connected town”. The Meihan National Highway is a motor road running through the east of the city (Tsuge). If you live in one of the seven eastern districts (Tawara, Yagyu, Oyagyu, Sagawa, Higashisato, Tsuge, Tsukigase), shopping and medical visits both assume a car. The built-up west is a part of the city where you can live by train and bus.

Source:Nara City, “Access in Nara City”／the same, “Country living in Nara City”(the seven eastern districts). Checked 2026-08-18

✈ Airports

The nearest is Osaka International Airport (a hub airport under company management), about 43.5 km as the crow flies. Next is Kobe Airport (about 61.0 km). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are neither road distance nor journey time — for how to actually get there, check the operators’ timetables.

🛣 Expressway junctions

This area has 4 entrances and exits (interchanges and junctions).
Meihan National Highway = Ippommatsu, Gokadani, Ogura, Hari

Sources: airports fromNational Land Numerical Information, "Airports", FY2021 edition (category names followthe MLIT list of airports ) / expressway junctions fromthe same, "Expressways time series", 2025 edition, current data only (what is open today). Both were overlaid onthe same, "Administrative boundaries", 2026and judged by machine to fall inside this area / verified 2026-08-21

How long does it take from Nara to Kyoto or Osaka?

From JR Nara Station it is 48 minutes and ¥720 to Kyoto, 52 minutes and ¥840 to Osaka, and 33 minutes and ¥510 to Tennoji — none of them with a change of train. From Kintetsu-Nara Station, the city says, it is 40 minutes to Osaka-Namba and under an hour to Kyoto.

CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now

442 properties, ¥1,800,000 to ¥350,000,000, median ¥26,850,000. 63 (14%) are under ¥10,000,000. Median land is 209 square metres (about 63 tsubo) and building 116. Median year built is 1990, and 99 (22%) are from 1981 or earlier — houses built under the old seismic code.

Sort

"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.

Tokujo-cho¥1,800,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 56 m² (17 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1977 / Obitoke Sta. 29 min walk10 photos →

Tsuge-Baba-cho¥2,500,000East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase)Elev. approx. 420 m / Land 244 m² (74 tsubo) / Building 124 m² (38 tsubo) / built 1994 / Haibara Sta., 15.0km10 photos →

Gojobata 2¥2,800,000Nishinokyo and Saidaiji (the Kintetsu Kashihara Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 76 m² (23 tsubo) / Building 76 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1978 / Amagatsuji Sta. bus 8 min+10 min walk6 photos →

Minami-Kyobate-cho¥2,800,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 80 m / Land 149 m² (45 tsubo) / Building 48 m² (15 tsubo) / built 1963 / Kyobate Sta. 6 min walk6 photos →

Kitanoyama-cho¥2,900,000East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase)Elev. approx. 340 m / Land 198 m² (60 tsubo) / Building 232 m² (70 tsubo) / built 1995 / Kintetsu-Nara Sta. bus 31 min+45 min walk1 photos →

Minami-Kyobate-cho¥3,000,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 82 m² (25 tsubo) / Building 83 m² (25 tsubo) / built 1980 / Kyobate Sta. 7 min walk6 photos →

Minami-Kyobate-cho 5¥3,800,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 80 m / Land 63 m² (19 tsubo) / Building 73 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1974 / Kyobate Sta. 9 min walk10 photos →

Tokujo-cho¥3,800,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 84 m² (25 tsubo) / Building 89 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1980 / Nara Sta. bus 13 min+4 min walk10 photos →

Kodono-cho¥3,800,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 66 m² (20 tsubo) / Building 77 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1981 / Kyobate Sta. 15 min walk5 photos →

Kodono-cho¥3,980,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 76 m² (23 tsubo) / Building 88 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1981 / Kyobate Sta. 24 min walk10 photos →

Tsuge-Kobushigaoka¥4,300,000East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase)Elev. approx. 480 m / Land 198 m² (60 tsubo) / Building 94 m² (29 tsubo) / built 1991 / Haibara Sta. bus 13 min+7 min walk10 photos →

Tokujo-cho¥4,400,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 62 m² (19 tsubo) / Building 63 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1977 / Kintetsu-Nara Sta. bus 15 min+4 min walk10 photos →

Suganodai¥4,500,000West: Gakuemmae and Tomio (the Kintetsu Nara Line)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 73 m² (22 tsubo) / Building 79 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1985 / Gakuemmae Sta. bus 8 min+3 min walk9 photos →

Shijo-Oji 2¥4,600,000Central (Kintetsu-Nara, Shin-Omiya, JR Nara)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 92 m² (28 tsubo) / Building 85 m² (26 tsubo) / built 1979 / Shin-Omiya Sta. bus 9 min+6 min walk10 photos →

Tsuge-Shiraishi-cho¥4,800,000East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase)Elev. approx. 470 m / Land 132 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 108 m² (33 tsubo) / built 1990 / Haibara Sta. bus 32 min+8 min walk10 photos →

Minami-Kyobate-cho 7¥4,900,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 80 m / Land 65 m² (20 tsubo) / Building 111 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1994 / Kyobate Sta. 12 min walk9 photos →

Minami-Kidera-cho 3¥5,200,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 100 m / Land 78 m² (24 tsubo) / Building 77 m² (23 tsubo) / built 1976 / Kyobate Sta. 16 min walk10 photos →

Imaichi-cho¥5,500,000South (the JR Sakurai Line, Kyobate and Obitoke)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 195 m² (59 tsubo) / Building 196 m² (59 tsubo) / built 1959 / Obitoke Sta. 7 min walk10 photos →

Sugawa-cho¥5,800,000East (the hill country of Tsuge and Tsukigase)Elev. approx. 200 m / Land 330 m² (100 tsubo) / Building 132 m² (40 tsubo) / built 1989 / Kintetsu-Nara Sta. bus 30 min+1 min walk9 photos →

Misasagi-cho¥5,800,000North: Heijo and Takanohara (the Kintetsu Kyoto Line)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 62 m² (19 tsubo) / Building 66 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1982 / Heijo Sta. 8 min walk10 photos →

The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.

See all 442 on SUUMO →

How to read this list

63 are under ¥10,000,000Of the 442, 63 (14%) are under ¥10,000,000, the lowest at ¥1,800,000 (29 minutes on foot from Obitoke Station on the JR Sakurai Line, built 1977). By district, 22 of the 71 in the south (Kyobate and Obitoke) are under ¥10,000,000 (31%), with a median of ¥22,500,000, and the east (Tsuge and Tsukigase) has a median of ¥9,500,000.

🔴 Always look at the year builtThe median year built is 1990. 99 of the 442 (22%) were built in 1981 or earlier. The seismic standards in the Building Standards Act changed in June 1981, so for anything older you should assume a seismic diagnosis and, if needed, retrofitting. Nara City is ground with a 64.3% chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years (at the city hall site) (§5).

Sources: taken from SUUMO, "Second-hand detached houses in Nara City" (All 442 listed were retrieved, as of 2026-08-19). Prices, year built, address and nearest station are as given on each listing page; elevation is the map coordinates on the listing page put through the Geospatial Information Authority elevation API.Listings change from day to day. Please check each listing page for the latest / checked 2026-08-18

The akiya bank as a way of looking

Nara City has two doorways. One is the national portal, the At Home akiya bank (municipal version), where Nara City has 6 registrations (as of 2026-08-18). The other is the city’s own “Nara City akiya and machiya bank”, which presents empty houses in the east and machiya townhouses in the Naramachi district on a dedicated site. The city explains that properties on the akiya bank may attract grants towards purchase, renovation and clearing out belongings, and that the purchase grant and the housing renovation grant cannot be combined. It is run under contract by the NPO Akiya Concierge, and advice in cooperation with specialists in building, tax and law is free (0744-45-5210, 9:00 to 18:00, closed Sundays and over the New Year). And this grant can be combined with the “relocation and settlement payment for families with children (up to ¥400,000)” in §14 (the two applications must be made separately).

Source:Nara City akiya and machiya bank(run by the NPO Akiya Concierge) /Nara City, “Country living in Nara City”(whether the grants can be combined, and combining them with the payment). The numbers fromAt Home akiya bank, Nara Prefecture’s count by municipality. Checked 2026-08-18

Akiya bank — 6 listings

All 6 houses for sale registered on the At Home municipal akiya bank (as checked on 18 August 2026). They are listed cheapest first.

Nara City 邑地町¥2,500,000

Land 403 m² (122 tsubo) / Building 180 m² (55 tsubo) / Year built unknown / 5DK
the JR Kansai Main Line Kasagi Sta. / by car14 minAkiya bank of View listing →

Nara City 邑地町¥2,500,000

Land 231 m² (70 tsubo) / Building 81 m² (24 tsubo) / Year built unknown / 6DK
the JR Kansai Main Line Kasagi Sta. / by car14 minAkiya bank of View listing →

Nara City 平清水町¥4,000,000

Land 288 m² (87 tsubo) / Building 196 m² (59 tsubo) / Year built unknown / 6DK
Kintetsu Namba and Nara Lines, Kintetsu-Nara Sta. / 18 min by carAkiya bank of View listing →

Nara City 矢田原町¥5,000,000

Land 1030 m² (312 tsubo) / Building 140 m² (42 tsubo) /built 1977／4LDK
the JR Sakurai Line Kyobate Sta. / by car19 minAkiya bank of View listing →

Nara City 日笠町¥8,000,000

Land 179 m² (54 tsubo) / Building 263 m² (79 tsubo) /built 1957／8DK
the JR Sakurai Line Kyobate Sta. / by car21 minAkiya bank of View listing →

Nara City 下狭川町¥25,500,000

Land 654 m² (198 tsubo) / Building 155 m² (47 tsubo) / Year built unknown / 5DK
the JR Kansai Main Line Kasagi Sta. / 46 min walkAkiya bank of View listing →

What is the cheapest house you can buy in Nara?

There are 442 second-hand detached houses on SUUMO, from ¥1,800,000 to ¥350,000,000, median ¥26,850,000. 63 (14%) are under ¥10,000,000, and the median plot is 209 square metres.

CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?

Nara City is designated an area for the promotion of Nankai Trough earthquake disaster measures. For the 250-metre square the city hall stands on, the chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years is 64.3%, and of 6-upper or above 21.0%. The ground is back marsh, with an AVS30 of 178.52 m/s.

Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?

For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.

Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	🔴 Designated
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area	Not applicable (the whole of Nara Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Not applicable (the whole of Nara Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years	64.3% (shindo 6-upper or above, 21.0%) At the Nara city hall site. Surface ground AVS30 179 m/s, back marsh

This probability is for the single 250-metre grid square the city hall stands in. The Nara City town hall stands onback marsh(AVS30 179 m/s), and the 64.3% above is the figure for that point. Within Nara City itself it varies a great deal between the low ground along the rivers and the plateau. When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.

Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the city hall coordinates / verified 2026-08-18

What this number means, and what you do next

The figure is for one square at the city hallThe probability above is calculated for the single 250-metre mesh square on which the city hall stands, not an average for the whole city. Nara City is 33.51 km across, and the ground on the flat land in the west (back marsh) is nothing like the ground on the highland in the east. When a property interests you, look at J-SHIS for that address.

Three things to look at first① Put the address into the Overlay Hazard Map and look at flood, landslide and earthquake together. ② Look at how the ground shakes at that address on J-SHIS. ③ Look at the evacuation sites and the assumed inundation on Nara City’s hazard map. All three take five minutes, before you go to view.

Sources: the designation under the Nankai Trough Earthquake disaster-prevention promotion area from the Cabinet Office (Disaster Management) list of designated municipalities; the probability and the ground from National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS(the 250-metre mesh square containing the city hall at 34.68500 / 135.80472). Checked 2026-08-18

Is the disaster risk high in Nara?

It is designated an area for the promotion of Nankai Trough earthquake disaster measures, and at the city hall site the chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years is 64.3%, and of 6-upper or above 21.0%. But that is the figure for the 250-metre square the city hall stands on, so when a property interests you, look at J-SHIS for that address.

CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like

Mean annual temperature 15.7℃, annual rainfall 1,365.1 mm. The August daily high is 33.4℃, 2.1℃ higher than Tokyo, and the January daily low is 0.8℃, 0.4℃ lower than Tokyo — summer is properly hot, and winter about the same as Tokyo. But days that stay below freezing come to 0.0, snowfall totals 5 cm a year and the deepest snow is 3 cm. Snow hardly settles at all.

Item	Nara (normals)	What it means for daily life
Annual mean temperature	15.7℃	Mean daily high 20.9℃ / mean daily low 11.5℃
Summer (August daily high)	33.4℃	15.6 days of extreme heat, 72.7 days above 30℃, 16.3 tropical nights
Winter (January daily low)	0.8℃	31.4 nights below 0℃, 0.0 days below freezing = no day stays below zero
snow	5 cm a year / 3 cm at the deepest	On the flat, the cost of snow shovels and winter tyres is small
Annual rainfall	1,365.1mm	August is the wettest, at 127.9 mm

On the flat: a hot summer, a winter that does not settleThere are 16.3 tropical nights a year, so summer needs air conditioning to sleep. On the other hand days that stay below freezing come to 0.0, and the normal deepest snow is 3 cm. Kerosene use and preparing for snow cost far less than in snow country.

The east is a different climate within the same cityThese normals are from the Nara Local Meteorological Office (on the flat). The houses for sale run from 59 m to 475 m above sea level, and the east (Tsuge and Tsukigase) is 339 to 475 m. The city too writes of the east as “200 to 600 metres above sea level”. Every 100 metres of height costs roughly 0.6℃, so winter in the east is certainly colder than on the flat. Go and see a morning there once, in winter.

Source:Japan Meteorological Agency, "Nara (normals, 1991–2020)"(by month, day counts, snow). The comparison with Tokyo is the difference from the same agency’s normals for Tokyo (August daily high 31.3℃, January daily low 1.2℃). Elevations are from the same property coordinates as in §2. Checked 2026-08-18

Is winter cold in Nara? Does it snow?

The January daily low is 0.8℃, only 0.4℃ lower than Tokyo, and days that stay below freezing come to 0.0. Snowfall totals 5 cm a year and the deepest snow is 3 cm, so on the flat it hardly settles at all (the east, at 339 to 475 m, is colder than the flat).

CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools

At night and at weekends, primary emergency care is at the municipal holiday and night emergency clinic (519-28 Kashiwagi-cho, Nara City / 0742-34-1228). For anything serious, tertiary care falls to the three critical care centres in the prefecture. Children’s medical costs are subsidised to high-school age (the end of the school year in which a child turns 18), and school meals are free at junior high school.

How to use emergency care

Primary care first; if in doubt, #7119The city explains the system as going first to your regular doctor or the municipal holiday and night emergency clinic (primary care), from where a doctor refers you to a secondary or tertiary institution. If you are unsure, the Nara Prefecture emergency advice centre “#7119” takes calls 24 hours a day.

Tertiary care at three places in the prefectureSerious emergencies spanning several specialties are handled by three critical care centres: Nara Prefecture General Medical Center, Kindai University Nara Hospital and Nara Medical University Hospital. Two of them are in Nara City and neighbouring Ikoma City; the prefectural medical university is in Kashihara City.

Source:Nara City, “Holiday and night emergency medical care in Nara City”／the same, “Holiday and night emergency clinic”(address and telephone). The three tertiary centres fromNara Prefecture, “Medical care plan, section 6: emergency medical care” (PDF)/ Verified 2026-08-18

What children cost

Item	What Nara City provides
Grant for children’s medical costs	Covered to high-school age (the first 31 March after a child turns 18). For outpatient care, ¥500 a month per institution (pre-school) or ¥1,000 (primary school and above); for a hospital stay, ¥1,000 a month (¥500 for under 14 days); nothing to pay at the dispensing pharmacy
School meals	For the Reiwa 8 year, ¥350 a meal at primary school and ¥450 at junior high. Parents pay ¥56 a meal at primary school, and nothing at junior high

Nara City has announced that it came 2nd in the Kansai region and 7th nationally in the “2025 ranking of towns where dual-income families find it easy to raise children”.

Source:Nara City, “Child medical cost subsidy”(2026-02-03updated) /the same, “About school meals in Nara City”(the amounts for the Reiwa 8 year) /the same, “2025 ranking of towns where dual-income families find it easy to raise children”/ Verified 2026-08-18

Everyday shopping, and public places

In its station-by-station guide the city writes that JR Nara Station “has large bus terminals on both sides and a great many bus departures”, and that “along Sanjo-dori on the east side of the station there are drugstores, family restaurants, banks and all sorts of shops side by side”, while Kintetsu-Nara Station “gathers all the places Nara is known for, but many of the shops close fairly early, so the crowds thin in the evening and it grows quiet”. The “Hagukumi Center”, which houses both the public health centre and the education centre, is about 5 minutes on foot from JR Nara Station, and the municipal central library about 10 minutes from Kintetsu-Nara Station. In the seven eastern districts (Tawara, Yagyu, Oyagyu, Sagawa, Higashisato, Tsuge, Tsukigase), on the other hand, a car is assumed.

Source:Nara City, “Access in Nara City (around the stations, and each area)”(2024-07-09updated) / Verified 2026-08-18

How does emergency medical care work in Nara?

At night and at weekends you go first to the municipal holiday and night emergency clinic (519-28 Kashiwagi-cho, Nara City / 0742-34-1228), and anything serious falls to the three critical care centres in the prefecture. If you are unsure, “#7119” takes calls 24 hours a day.

CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy

Water and sewerage come to ¥12,804 for 40 m³ over two months on a 20 mm connection (¥6,402 for 20 m³ in a month = ¥3,509 water plus ¥2,893 sewerage). On a 13 mm connection it is ¥11,242 over two months. Sewerage charges were revised from the fifth month of Reiwa 2, when a base charge of ¥165 was newly added.

Connection size	20 m³ a month	Split (water / sewerage)	Converted to 40 m³ over two months
13mm	¥5,621	¥2,728 / ¥2,893	¥11,242
20mm	¥6,402	¥3,509 / ¥2,893	¥12,804

An ordinary household is read every two months and pays each month against half the volume used over those two months. The table above simply reproduces the values in the quick reference table (totals shown).

Sewerage went up in May 2020The city explains that the revision newly added a base charge of ¥165 a month (tax included), raised the volume charge by about 15%, and came to about a 20% increase in total. As its reason the city cites the fact that about 4.5% of users take less than 1 m³ a month.

Winter heating costs less than in snow countryWith 0.0 days below freezing and 5 cm of snow a year (§6), kerosene and snow clearing weigh lightly. But the east (339 to 475 m up) is colder than the flat. Second-hand houses are often poorly insulated, so look at the windows and frames when you view.

Source:Nara City Enterprise Bureau, “Tariff and quick reference table”ofQuick reference table of total water and sewerage charges (PDF)(from the fifth month of Reiwa 2). The content of the revision fromthe same city, “Revision of sewerage charges”/ Verified 2026-08-18

What do water and sewerage cost in Nara?

On a 20 mm connection it is ¥6,402 for 20 m³ in a month (¥12,804 for 40 m³ over two months), and on a 13 mm connection ¥5,621 a month (¥11,242 over two months). Sewerage charges were revised from the fifth month of Reiwa 2, when a base charge of ¥165 was added.

CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell

Land prices in Nara City are rising. In the Reiwa 8 land price publication, residential land averages ¥106,000/m², up 1.3% on the year, commercial land ¥362,800/m², up 4.8%, and all uses together up 2.0%. It is a prefectural capital where the price of land has stopped falling.

Use	Average price	Year-on-year change
Residential	¥106,000/m²	+1.3%
Commercial land	¥362,800/m²	+4.8%
Industrial land	¥63,300/m²	+3.2%
All uses	¥157,600/m²	+2.0%

The land is strong. The building is another matterWhile land prices rise, the median year built among the 442 now on the market is 1990, and 99 (22%) are from 1981 or earlier (§4). When your turn comes to sell, buyers will look at the year built with the same eye. It is safer to think of this as a market held up by the price of land.

Decide these in advance① Decide first what you will pay and what you would let it go for. ② Assume that a house under ¥10,000,000 (63 of the 442) is being hunted by buyers in that same bracket. ③ Expect the east (Tsuge and Tsukigase) to take longer than the built-up town. The akiya bank is a doorway for selling, too (§4).

Source:Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, official land price survey (Reiwa 8), average prices and year-on-year change by municipality (PDF)’s row for Nara City. Years built are from the same count of the 442 SUUMO listings as in §4. Checked 2026-08-19

Will the house I buy sell when I want to sell it?

This is land that is rising — in the Reiwa 8 land price publication residential land is up 1.3% and all uses 2.0%. But the median year built among the 442 on the market is 1990, and 99 (22%) are from 1981 or earlier, so it is safer to assume that when you sell you will be judged on the land rather than the building.

CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many

343,905 people in 169,427 households (1 April of Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register), 2.03 people per household. 36,480 are aged 0 to 14 (10.6%) and 112,518 are 65 or over (32.7%).

Population

343,905 people

1 April of Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register

Households

169,427 households

1 households 2.03 people

Aged 0–14

10.6%

36,480 people

Aged 65 and over

32.7%

112,518 people

85.5% of the population lives on 16.5% of the cityIn the city’s own figures, the densely inhabited district (DID) is 16.5% of the city’s area, and 85.5% of the population lives there (after the Heisei 17 merger). Of the 33.51 km from east to west, the people are gathered on the flat land in the west. Which is exactly why life in the east and life in the west are so plainly different (§2).

The city calls for families with children by nameThe relocation and settlement payment for families with children, which began on 7 July 2026, is for “a household with a married couple aged 39 or under and a child of junior-high age or younger (single parents included)” (§14). The figure of 10.6% aged 0 to 14 and the direction of this scheme point the same way.

Source:Nara City "Reiwa 8 (2026), month 4 of Population"’s data by administrative district and by age (Basic Resident Register), aggregated. The densely inhabited district fromNara City, “1. Overview of the city” (PDF)/ Verified 2026-08-18

Share of foreign residents

1.67%national average 3.26%

Of the 344,742 people living in Nara City, 5,764 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents are 3.26% of the total population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642). There are 34 municipalities in the country where they exceed one in ten.

Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17

What is happening to Nara's population?

343,905 people in 169,427 households (1 April of Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register), 2.03 people per household. 10.6% are aged 0 to 14 and 32.7% are 65 or over, and 85.5% of the population lives on 16.5% of the city’s area (the densely inhabited district).

CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events

The year in Nara City turns on the Wakakusayama grass burning in January, the Shuni-e (Omizutori) at the Nigatsudo of Todai-ji in March, the Nara Tokae in August, and the Shosoin exhibition in October and November. Depending on where you live, these are either things you go to watch or things you help to run.

When	Event	Where
Fourth Saturday in January	The Wakakusayama grass burning	Mount Wakakusa
month 3	Shuni-e (Omizutori)	The Nigatsudo of Todai-ji
🔴 Early August	Nara Tokae (in 2026, ten days from 5 to 14 August, at 9 venues)	Around Nara Park
Late October to early November	The Shosoin exhibition	Nara National Museum

In the centre you live inside the eventsLive near Nara Park and January, March, August and October bring more people. The city itself writes of the area around Kintetsu-Nara Station that “by day it is busy with visitors”. Whether the hours of the events overlap the hours you commute or take children to school is worth checking once before you move.

In the east, community life means taking a shareThe seven eastern districts (Tawara, Yagyu, Oyagyu, Sagawa, Higashisato, Tsuge, Tsukigase) are the hamlets the city describes as “a nostalgic landscape rich in nature” and “an area with the deep history and culture of ancient Nara”. The city also publishes interviews with people who have moved there, among them someone who settled in Tsukigase and set up as a tea farmer. The account records that they came through the regional revitalisation cooperation corps.

Sources: the timing of the events fromNara City Tourist Association, “The Wakakusayama grass burning”／the same, “Shuni-e / the Nigatsudo of Todai-ji”／the same, “Nara Tokae”. The Shosoin exhibition fromthe same, “Nara National Museum”. The east and the accounts of people who moved there fromNara City, “Country living in Nara City”(2025-07-06updated) / Verified 2026-08-18

What events does Nara have?

The Wakakusayama grass burning on the fourth Saturday in January, the Shuni-e (Omizutori) at the Nigatsudo of Todai-ji in March, the Nara Tokae in early August (5 to 14 August in 2026) and the Shosoin exhibition from late October are the axis of the year. Live in the centre and these are the times when the crowds come.

CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices

Three things move prices in Nara City: ① that it is within commuting range of Kyoto and Osaka, ② the recovery of tourism, and ③ the “residence guidance zone” the city has drawn on the map. The third in particular tells plainly, in the form of a ¥100,000 difference in the payment within the same city.

① “Both Kyoto and Osaka” holds the prices upFrom JR Nara Station, Kyoto in 48 minutes, Osaka in 52 and Tennoji in 33, all without a change (§3). The land price publication shows residential land up 1.3%, commercial land up 4.8% and all uses up 2.0% (§9). To be a prefectural capital and still have 63 houses out of 442 under ¥10,000,000 is unusual within this commuting range.

② Tourism came back, and overnight stays hit a 15-year highVisitors in 2024 came to 14,870,000, up 21.9% on the year, and overnight guests to 2,038,000, above 2019 before the pandemic and the highest in 15 years. Foreign visitors numbered 2,977,000, and tourist spending ¥128,070,000,000. The rise in central commercial land (+4.8%) runs alongside this.

③ The city has drawn a line around a “residence guidance zone”The relocation and settlement payment for families with children, begun on 7 July 2026, is built so that on top of a basic ¥300,000, moving into the “residence guidance zone or living environment maintenance zone” of the location optimisation plan adds ¥100,000 (§14). What the city gives you depends on where you buy. You can check whether an address qualifies on the Nara City map information site. Look up the address before you settle on a property.

Sources: tourism fromNara City Tourism and Economy Department, “2024 survey of visitor numbers to Nara City” (PDF)(14,870,000 visitors / 2,038,000 overnight / 2,977,000 foreign) andthe same, “On the 2024 survey of visitor numbers to Nara City [mayor’s press conference]”(tourist spending ¥128,070,000,000). Land prices from the same land price publication as in §9. The zones fromNara City, “Nara City relocation and settlement payment for families with children”/ Verified 2026-08-18

How many visitors come

Nara City’s biggest earner is tourism. Tourist spending in 2024 was ¥128,070,000,000 (¥64,710,000,000 from overnight visitors and ¥63,360,000,000 from day visitors), and the city estimates the wider economic effect at ¥132,000,000,000. Jobs in accommodation, food and drink and retail stand on top of that.

Visitors

14,870,000

2024, up 21.9% on the year

Overnight guests

2,038,000

Above 2019, the highest in 15 years

Foreign visitors

2,977,000

2024, 161.4% of the previous year

Hometown tax donations

¥1,089,730,000

50,194 donations. 1st in the prefecture / 305th nationally

In the east, the work is tea and hill countryThe city presents Tsukigase as “a noted home of Yamato tea”, and carries an interview with someone who moved to Tsukigase and set up as a tea farmer. The east also has “Nara Satoyama Minpaku”, a scheme that combines guest accommodation with hands-on farming and craft.

Hometown tax receipts are the highest in the prefectureReceipts for the Reiwa 7 financial year were ¥1,089,730,000 from 50,194 donations, 305th of the country’s 1,788 municipalities and 1st within Nara Prefecture (there is a list in the next chapter). Which is to say there are products here that the whole country picks out.

Sources: tourism from the same survey as in §12. Hometown tax fromMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey of the current state of furusato nozei"(Reiwa 7 financial year; receipts ¥1,089,737,655 / 50,194 donations / 305th nationally, 1st in the prefecture). Yamato tea and the guest accommodation fromNara City, “Country living in Nara City”/ Verified 2026-08-18

What decides land prices in Nara?

Three things: that it is within commuting range of Kyoto and Osaka, the recovery of tourism (14,870,000 visitors in 2024), and the residence guidance zone the city has drawn. 🔴 Inside or outside that zone changes the city’s payment by ¥100,000.

CHAPTER 13What this place makes

What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.

¥1,089,730,000

Hometown tax receipts for the Reiwa 7 financial year (50,194 donations).
305th of the country’s 1,788 municipalities, and 1st within Nara Prefecture

We have not yet been able to describe this place's local specialities

I (an AI) searched Nara City’s official site and the tourism and produce association sites the municipality points to, but could not find an officially published list of local specialities (checked 20 August 2026).
This site is built by checking sources one at a time, so that an AI does not present something that is not so. Because no sourced information could be found, nothing is set down here yet. It does not mean there are no specialities — please bear with us.

🔴 To municipalities and local organisations
If you would like this filled in,please tell us the official page . We will put it here with a source and the date it was checked.

For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

You can support a town without living there

Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.

Support Nara City through hometown tax →

Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14

What does Nara earn its living from?

Tourism. Tourist spending in 2024 was ¥128,070,000,000 (¥64,710,000,000 from overnight visitors and ¥63,360,000,000 from day visitors), and overnight guests numbered 2,038,000, the highest in 15 years. Hometown tax receipts of ¥1,089,730,000 are the highest in Nara Prefecture.

CHAPTER 14A message from Nara City

Nara City runs a relocation portal, “Nara Rhythm”, and from 7 July 2026 began a payment for families with children (up to ¥400,000). A trial stay costs ¥2,000 per person per night, up to ¥20,000. What follows is what the city writes in its own words.

Relocation and settlement payment for families with children (up to ¥400,000, from 7 July 2026)

Item	What it is
Covered	A household with a married couple aged 39 or under and a child of junior-high age or younger (single-parent households included) buying a new or second-hand home (detached or flat) in the city
Amount	A basic ¥300,000, plus ¥100,000 for moving into a residence guidance zone or living environment maintenance zone = up to ¥400,000
Conditions	The contract must be signed on or after 7 July of Reiwa 8, and an advance notice (entry) must be made within 6 months of the contract and before you move in. Anyone who has already moved in, or who signed before the scheme began, is not eligible
Applications	Advance notice runs 7 July of Reiwa 8 to 31 January of Reiwa 9. It closes as soon as applications reach the budget

It can be combined with the akiya bank grants (purchase, renovation, clearing out belongings) (applied for separately).

The trial relocation scheme

In the city’s words, it is for those who feel “I want to move to Nara, but moving straight away is a big step” or “I would like to stay and look at it as somewhere to live, not as a tourist”. ¥2,000 per person per night towards accommodation, up to ¥20,000 (paid afterwards as a QUO card). 14 places take part, and you may combine several of them. Two nights or more qualify (a single night does not), support covers up to 2 people per household, and you may use it any number of times up to 10 nights. For the Reiwa 8 year it runs to check-out on 29 March of Reiwa 9. Apply at least 10 working days before you set off (excluding weekends and public holidays). At some of the places you can also get a “town guide” — the nearest station and bus stop, the offices and public facilities, and a walk around the neighbourhood.

What the city itself points to

The city announces that it came 2nd in the Kansai region and 7th nationally in the “2025 ranking of towns where dual-income families find it easy to raise children”. For the 2024 edition it likewise cites 2nd in Kansai, and a net inflow of children. On empty houses it runs the “Nara City akiya and machiya bank”, contracted to the NPO Akiya Concierge. It writes that advice on finding a home, and follow-up after you move, are free, in cooperation with specialists in building, tax and law (§4).

Source:Nara City, “[Up to ¥400,000] Nara City relocation and settlement payment for families with children”(2026-07-06updated) /the same, “The trial relocation scheme”／the same, “Relocation support schemes in Nara City”／the same, “2025 ranking of towns where dual-income families find it easy to raise children”. The relocation portal“Nara Rhythm”/ Verified 2026-08-18

Does Nara take in people moving from elsewhere? Is there any support?

🔴 From 7 July 2026 a relocation and settlement payment for families with children (up to ¥400,000) began. It is for a household with a married couple aged 39 or under and a child of junior-high age or younger, and the entry must be made within 6 months of the contract and before you move in. There is also a trial stay (¥2,000 per person per night, up to ¥20,000).

CHAPTER 15A year in Nara

Last, a plan of the year as it is lived. The figures are from the primary sources used on this page.

Month	Nara that month
month 1	Mean daily low 0.8℃. There are 31.4 nights below 0℃ a year, but 0.0 days that stay below freezing — no day stays below zero. The fourth Saturday brings the Wakakusayama grass burning
2–month 3	The quietest month of the year for visitors (February). March brings the Shuni-e (Omizutori) at the Nigatsudo of Todai-ji, when people gather at the hall by night
4–month 5	The reference month for the city’s population statistics (1 April). The relocation and settlement payment for families with children requires the entry before you move in, so if you are timing it for a school year starting in April you need to act during the year before
6–month 7	The rainy season. Annual rainfall is 1,365.1 mm. 7 July is the day applications open for the relocation and settlement payment for families with children (Reiwa 8)
month 8	Mean daily high 33.4℃, 15.6 days of extreme heat, 16.3 tropical nights. 5 to 14 August is the Nara Tokae (2026; 9 venues around Nara Park)
9–month 10	The Shosoin exhibition from late October. The busiest month for visitors is November, 521,000 above the quietest (February)
11–month 12	The time when people gather in Nara Park for the autumn leaves. 31 January is the deadline for the advance notice for the payment (Reiwa 9), so the end of the year is when the paperwork gets ready

Sources: the climate as in §6, the events as in §11, the monthly tourism figures as in §12 and the dates of the payment as in §14, from the same primary sources. Checked 2026-08-18

The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.

What is a year in Nara like?

In January the daily low is 0.8℃ and days below freezing 0.0; in August the daily high is 33.4℃ with 16.3 tropical nights. Applications for the payment open on 7 July and the advance notice closes on 31 January, so preparations for a move have to be fitted to that calendar.

CHAPTER 16The people who run this city

When you are thinking about moving, who is running this town at the moment, and where they are taking it, is something the person about to live here wants to know more than the person already living here. This chapter sets out, with sources, only what Nara City publishes itself. 🔴 As of 22 August 2026, what I (an AI) could find by following the official site was 5 of the 6 below. The mayor of Nara City is Nakagawa Gen (confirmed on the city’s introduction page).

What is published	Published	What you can read
About the mayor	The mayor’s room	Name, career, greeting
Policy address	Running the city	What they say they will do this year
List of council members	List of assembly members	Who the members are, and their groupings
Council broadcasts and recordings	Could not find one	Whether you can watch the council in session
Searchable minutes	Minutes [PDF / 162KB]	Whether you can search past debates by wording
Master plan	Comprehensive plan	How many years ahead this town has decided

The mayor of Nara CityNakagawa Gen. The page carrying that name was last updated2024-06-06.Reiwa 7 (2025), month 7is when the career summary says he took office.
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Nara City introduction page →

How much of the council can you see?A list of members, live or recorded broadcasts of full sessions, and searchable minutes — where these three are published, you can read a town's debates for yourself before you ever move there.
🔴 The names, photographs and social media of individual council members are not carried on this site. We point you to where you can read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn to decide comes round is something those three will tell you.

How many years ahead has been decidedIn Nara City,Comprehensive plan. A master plan usually sets outwhat the town has decided to do and by whenand ,where it intends to halt its population decline. 🔴 The period and the population target are not copied out on this site — plans get revised, and a misreading changes the meaning.Please check the official text from the link below.Comprehensive plan →

🔴 What I will not do in this chapter1. I will not guess gender or age from a name. Only what is published appears here. 2. I will not write that anything is good or bad. Only what is being put forward, and where it comes from. 3. I will not compare election candidates.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (2026-08-22), and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice something has nonetheless gone out of date, please let us know.

Source: allofficial site (Nara City ), followed on 2026-08-22. What this site counted wasonly whether something is published or not ; the content has not been judged / verified 2026-08-22

Who runs Nara City now?

The mayor of Nara City is Nakagawa Gen (confirmed on the city’s introduction page on 22 August 2026). What this site looks for is six things: a profile of the head of the municipality, a policy statement, a list of assembly members, live coverage of the assembly, a search of the minutes, and a comprehensive plan. 🔴 We make no judgement of good or bad. Only whether something is published or not.

CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off

What never shows up in the numbers of a house search, yet tells directly on how content you are once you live there, is the day off. This chapter counts, on the same yardstick for every area, the places you can go on a day off in Nara and the places family and friends can stay. This is a town with Yamato-Aogaki Quasi-National Park. The area currently has 12 hot spring and day bath facilities, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium and 1 roadside station. 🔴 Every count is the number registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) — in reality there may well be more.

What	Number counted, and names
⛰ National and quasi-national parks	Yamato-Aogaki Quasi-National Park
♨ Hot springs and day baths	Hinode-yu, La Royal Spa, Ume-no-Sato / Tsukigase Onsen, Shikishima Onsen, Yurara-no-Yu Oshikuma, Hanazono Shin-Onsen, Hari Onsen Land, Nishiki-yu and 12 in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites	The Gango-ji Shotoin site, and the castle sites of Setarin, Obirao, Mima, Okugahara, Yagyu, Oyagyu and Hirashimizu (south castle) and 22 in all
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums	Rokuen deer park
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls	Nakano Museum of Art, the Gango-ji general repository, Museum Yamato Bunkakan, Tezukayama University Museum, the Museum of Oriental Folklore, Shohaku Art Museum, the Nara City Sugioka Kason Museum of Calligraphy, Nara Craft Museum and 45 in all
⛩ Shrines and temples	179 shrines, 172 temples. Those with a Wikipedia entry are Byakugō-ji, Yashima Shrine, Shomyo-ji, Ota Daimyojin, Kitaichi Ebisu Shrine, Kyogyo-ji, Ryosen-ji and Sou-no-Miagata-ni-Imasu Shrine
🚗 Roadside stations	Hari T·R·S
🐕 Dog runs	Akahadayama Dog Run, Floriade Nara
🛣 Expressway service and parking areas	Takamine SA (southbound)

Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels

What	Number counted
🏨 Hotels and ryokan	77
🏠 Guesthouses and hostels	27
⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites	Nara City Youth Outdoor Activity Centre and 2 in all
🏕 Glamping	Not found among the campsite or hotel names
🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle)	RV Park Koto Sakura-no-Niwa Nara Todai-ji Ura, RV Park Romantopia Tsukigase, RV Park Light Heijokyo Suzakumon Hiroba, RV Park Light Yamato-no-Sato Tomio Nakamachi

This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.

Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / expressway service and parking areas, and the shops inside them, also from OpenStreetMap (judged by machine on whether they fall within the site outline) / national parks judged from the boundary data of the Ministry of the Environment Biodiversity Center overlaid on National Land Numerical Information (administrative boundaries); for quasi-national parks the municipalities concerned were confirmed at the link behind the park name / verified 2026-08-20

Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?

This is a town with Yamato-Aogaki Quasi-National Park. Counting from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists kept by the RV association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, we found 12 hot spring and day bath facilities, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium, 1 roadside station and 77 hotels and inns. Facilities that are not on the map are not counted, so in reality there may well be more (see §17 for details).

What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site

This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100, and measures how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. We measured the official site of Nara City, and the total was 65 (measured 20 August 2026).

"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.

Area	Score	What was found
Getting started with a move	13 / 20	There is a relocation and settlement page / an advice desk (department, phone number, opening hours) / support schemes give amounts and conditions, and 1 more
Housing	9 / 15	There is an akiya bank; listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area; completed deals are organised
The money side of living here	8 / 15	Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Disaster information	20 / 20	Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; the year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated; and 2 more
Industry and local produce	3 / 10	Hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport	7 / 10	There is a community bus timetable; fares are stated
Can an AI read it?	5 / 10	Every page carries an updated date; statistics are published as Excel or CSV; open data is published

See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them

3 / 3　There is a relocation and settlement page
Support for people moving in　Go and see → 0 / 3　There is a dedicated relocation site
Only pages within the official site 2 / 3　A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
2 of the department, phone number and opening hours were given　Go and see → 5 / 5　Support schemes state amounts and conditions
Both amounts and conditions　Go and see → 3 / 3　There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
[Call for operators] The trial relocation scheme　Go and see → 0 / 3　Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 4 / 4　There is an akiya bank
Measures on empty houses, and the akiya bank　Go and see → 1 / 4　Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
0 of 6 (0%) have all 4 items　Go and see → 4 / 4　Completed deals are organised
No completed deals appear in the list　Go and see → 0 / 3　The conditions of use are stated
Not found 1 / 5　Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
There is a water and sewerage page　Go and see → 5 / 5　Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
The scope of free and subsidised care is stated down to the age　Go and see → 2 / 3　There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Either the rate or the amount is stated　Go and see → 0 / 2　Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
Not found 5 / 5　Hazard maps are published by district
344 documents by district　Go and see → 5 / 5　Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide / earthquake　Go and see → 3 / 3　The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
Partly updated in the first month of Reiwa 6 (hazard maps updated from the first month of Reiwa 6　Go and see → 4 / 4　Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
Viewable in a map system　Go and see → 3 / 3　Disasters are announced through more than one channel
A disaster app / social media / the disaster radio system　Go and see → 0 / 5　A list of local speciality products is on the official site
Not found 1 / 3　Hometown tax results are published year by year
Not found　Go and see → 2 / 2　There are support schemes for businesses and industry
Business location　Go and see → 4 / 4　There is a community bus timetable
　Go and see → 3 / 3　Fares are stated
　Go and see → 0 / 3　The date of the last revision is given
Not found　Go and see → 3 / 3　Every page carries an updated date
16 of the 20 pages read　Go and see → 0 / 2　There is a sitemap.xml
Not found 0 / 2　Site search runs on the server side
It was a Google custom search　Go and see → 1 / 2　Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page　Go and see → 1 / 1　Open data is published
　Go and see →

Compare with other towns → 　For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

Measurement by this site. The URL of each official site was taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good the place is to live / verified 2026-08-20

Compare with other areas

Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.

Areas in Kinki

Kameoka (the Kyoto basin)Kameoka City, Kyotolistings85 listings / ¥1,800,000–Himeji (the World Heritage Himeji Castle; 28 minutes to Shin-Osaka by shinkansen)Hyogo Prefecture, Himeji Citylistings618 listings / ¥1,800,000–Takashima (west of Lake Biwa, 40 min to Kyoto by special rapid)Shiga Takashima Citylistings45 listings / ¥1,800,000–Wakayama (1 hr 10 min to Tennoji by rapid, the city of Wakayama Castle and the Kinokawa)Wakayama Wakayama Citylistings288 listings / ¥1,800,000–

Places you could look at for a similar price

Fukushima (prefectural capital; 1 hr 16 min to Tokyo by Shinkansen)Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecturelistings253 listings / ¥1,800,000–Himeji (the World Heritage Himeji Castle; 28 minutes to Shin-Osaka by shinkansen)Hyogo Prefecture, Himeji Citylistings618 listings / ¥1,800,000–Kameoka (the Kyoto basin)Kameoka City, Kyotolistings85 listings / ¥1,800,000–Takashima (west of Lake Biwa, 40 min to Kyoto by special rapid)Shiga Takashima Citylistings45 listings / ¥1,800,000–

Compare areas by budget and region →

Is there a mistake on this page?

This page is made by an AI. A number transposed, a scheme that has since changed, a link that no longer works — if you find one, please tell us. No name and no email address are needed. Just what is wrong, and how.

Anything you report is checked by me (an AI) against the primary source before it is corrected. When it is corrected, the "Last verified" date on this page changes.

Report a mistake on this page →

Quoting and reuse|Privacy policy|Contact|CCN Machi-erabi home

CCN Machi-erabi is run by CCN CO., LTD. About us