7 BEST Day Trips from Osaka, Japan (2023 Travel Guide)

While there is plenty to see in the city, there are also many great day trips from Osaka, Japan.

If you are still a little undecided about where to travel in Japan, planning to stay in the city of Osaka, western Japan will be a highlight of your Japanese travels.

Osaka is Japan’s second-largest city and is southwest of Tokyo, in the region known as Kansai.

What you will love about Osaka is easy to access places of interest in the Kansai region. You can use the efficient rail system to enhance your Japanese experience with day trips from Osaka.

Any day trip from Osaka is easy with a Japan Rail Card as trains are fast and reliable, allowing you more time to explore each destination.

But make sure you check which station your train leaves from as Osaka has two train stations: 

• Shin Osaka Station 
• Osaka Station

But don’t expect platform signs to be in English. Instead, use the train numbers to find your train.

If unsure of anything, most stations do have English speakers at the information centres.

Osaka is a vibrant city surrounded by places of stunning scenery and culture. 

When planning your day trip from Osaka, you have several choices, especially with the nearby ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto.

And depending on the season, you can experience cherry blossoms in spring, incredible leaf colour in autumn, snow in winter, and humid days in summer.

READ MORE: Check out our ultimate guide to travelling in Japan!

Best Day Trips from Osaka, Japan

A suggestion of day trips, depending on your time, can combine one or more places to visit.

For example, you could decide to return to Kyoto to explore more on a second-day trip.

Here are some of the best ideas for a day trip from Osaka.

1) Nara Park

An hour from Osaka is Nara, Japan’s first capital in 710, which has one of the largest wooden structures in the world, the Buddhist Todai-ji Temple.

It was constructed in 752 but rebuilt after a fire in 1692.

The temple is found in the northern area of the park and is an important place for Japanese to visit the 15-meter bronze Great Buddha (dai-butsu). 

Within Nara Park, there are more temples and shrines to visit. And as you wander the various paths, you will see deer roaming freely.

You are allowed to feed them from food bought at kiosks within the park. 

A highlight not to be missed is the wooden Nandai-mon Gate, where two 8.4-meter statues guard the entrance to the temple.

• Getting to Nara Park: 30-minute walk from the Kintetsu Nara Train…