Higashimuki Shopping Street

Higasimuki Shopping Street is one of the busiest commercial streets in Nara and hosts about 80 stores, like restaurants, duty-free shops, clothing stores, and bars. The street has a glass ceiling, protecting tourists from suffering the rain and wind. Besides, the street is close to a majority of Nara attractions, such as Kofukuji Temple, Nara National Museum, Nakamachi Koshinoie, and Goryo Shrine.

Why is it called Higashimuki Shopping Street?

Higashimuki means “facing east”. About 1,300 years ago, in order to appreciate the view of the Kofukuji Temple to the east of the street, only the west side of the street was allowed to build houses, and these houses all faced the Kofukuji Temple on the east side, hence the name. However, now both the east and west sides of the street are full of stores.

Higasimuki Shopping Street

Iconic Sculpture in the Street

Top Things to Do in Higashimuki Shopping Street

1. Buy Peripheral Products of Cute Deer

Since many tourists visit Nara in order to see cute deer, many businesses sell a variety of deer-related products, like key chains, headbands, bobby pins, dolls, socks, table ornaments, and deer cakes. You can buy some deer souvenirs for your family and friends.

Here are some popular stores that sell souvenirs in Higashimuki Shopping Street:

Sanraku-Do: The store was established in 1945, and it mainly sells traditional handcraft and Nara specialties. You can buy rich peripheral products of deer. The price of these objects is between 300 yen and 10,000 yen, and it is open from 9:30～20:00.

The Daiso: This is a hundred-yen store hosting more than 1,200 objects and you can buy varied toys, snacks, and ornaments at reasonable prices. It is open from 10:00 to 21:00.

2. Enjoy Nara's Specialty Food in the Street

Narazuke, also known as Kasuzuke, is kind of specialty pickles of Nara, Japan. Winter melon, cucumber, watermelon, ginger, and other foods are mixed into the wine tank to marinate for 3 to 13 years. Besides, Kakinoha Sushi is another special food in Nara. People use the leaves of persimmon to package the sushi and then press it with a slate for a few days in a wooden box before eating. The sushi combines with the flavor of leaves and is Nara's summer cuisine. In addition, persimmon and Yamato tea are also specialties in Nara, you can taste the fresh persimmon in October.

Here are some recommended gourmet shops:

Yamazakiya Honten: It is a century-old pickle shop that sells Narazuke. You can find about nine kinds of food in the pickle, like zucchini, watermelon, and cucumber. Besides, it also sells desserts made of Narazuke. A small bag of pickles is about 400 yen. It is open from 10:00 to 19:00.

Kakinoha Sushi Honpo Tanaka: The store focuses on making authentic Kakinoha sushi with the flavor of persimmon leaf. You are able to buy varied sushi with different fillings, and it is easy to carry and eat. The price of the sushi is between 300 yen and 5,000 yen. It is open from 9:30 to 19:30, and from 11:00 to 18:00 during the year-end and new-year holidays.

Yokota Bussan Honten: It is a souvenir shop that sells traditional specialties of Nara, such as persimmon cake and Yamato tea. The store is open from 10:00 to 20:00.

3. Drink Sake of Nara

Sake is the national drink of Japan and is a kind of rice wine. Nara is the birthplace of Japanese sake.

Here are some recommended stores:

Total NARA Sake Collcetio UMASSHU: The store is a Nara sake bar and owns more than seventy kinds of sake. You are able to taste all the local sake in Nara. The store offers by cup in three sizes, large, medium, and small. A small cup of sake costs about 200 yen, and it is open from 15:00 to 23:00. It’s not open on every Tuesday.

Izakaya Tsunofuri: It is a quiet bar with Japanese style. You can taste rare Nara Sakes here. Besides, you can see a small river inside the bar. The price of the food is between 2,500 yen and 5,000 yen, and it is open from 17:00 to 01:00 on weekdays, and from 16:00 to 01:00 on weekends and holidays.

4. Visit the Duty-free Shop

There are some duty-free cosmeceutical stores on this street, offering a wide range of cosmetics choices, such as Shiseido and Kose. Besides, you also can buy some daily necessities.

Here are some duty-free shops:

SEIMS: It is a large tax-free store that sells cosmetics, medicines, groceries, and food. It is open from 9:00 to 22:00.

SUGI DRUG: It is a famous chain of duty-free shops in Japan, and you can buy rich healthy food, medicine, cosmetics, and daily necessities. Besides, there is a discount if you spend more than a certain amount, please ask the shop assistant for details. It is open from 9:00 to 21:00.

Recommended Visit Time

About 1 hour.

How to Get to Higashimuki Shopping Street

1. You can take the Kintetsu Nara Line, and get off at Kintetsu Nara Station, then come out from the East Exit.

2. You can take the JR Nara Line, then get off at JR Nara Station. Then, you can walk to Higashimuki Shopping Street, which takes about 15 minutes.

Attractions within Walking Distance from Higashimuki Shopping Street

After enjoying the food in Higashimuki Shopping Street, you can visit Kofukuji Temple or Gangoji Temple to appreciate Buddha statues. Besides, you can appreciate the traditional Japanese house in Nakamachi Koshinoie and experience Shinto culture in Goryo Shrine. In addition, it is a good choice to walk to the Isuien Garden to see the Japanese Garden.

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