One of the most famous and historically significant temples in Japan. When it was constructed in 752 it was the head temple of all provincial temples in the country and became so powerful that the capital was moved away from Nara in 784, in order to lower the temple's influence on government affairs. Tōdai-ji's main hall, the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), held the record as the world's largest wooden building, even though the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds the size of the original temple. This massive building houses one of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha (Daibutsu). The 15-metre tall, seated Buddha represents Vairocana and is flanked by two Bodhisattvas. There are a number of souvenir stalls inside the hall, where you can buy omamori (charms/amulets). The temple is open between 8:00am and 5:00pm, entry costs ¥800/adult and ¥400/children (cash only). You can hire an audio guide ¥500. If you get the chance visit the Daibutsuden earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds, don't get distracted by feeding the deer, they will still be around when you leave. This is one of those don't miss landmarks.

It was worth the walk and detour over from the Nara Deer Park (Koen) as you will encounter plenty of the deer before you actually make it to the entrance of Todai-ji Temple's main gate! There is an admission fee for the temple and the museum for 800 yen, well worth the price. You come up face to face with the world's largest sitting Buddha surrounded by his guardians. It is housed inside one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Walk around the hall and you will encounter a hole that is in the middle of a wooden pillar. There maybe a short line of people waiting but it constantly moves as many want to try to squeeze or crawl through it. There is a well known legend that you are able to successfully crawl through it, you will be granted an opportunity to think with an open mind without any obstructions. It was nice to see that the majority of the people (adults too) made it through the wooden pillar. Well worth a visit here!

Très beau et très impressionnant. Après avoir fait connaissance avec les daims, en arrivant dans le parc, on reste bouche bée devant l'impressionnante porte e bois qui s'élève pour nous montrer la voie à suivre vers le temple qui est tout aussi impressionnant par sa taille et la puissance qu'il dégage. Visite payante, nous avons choisi de visiter uniquement l'édifice, à l'intérieur duquel se trouve le grand Bouddha. Il y avait beaucoup, beaucoup, de visiteurs, ce qui peut parfois gâcher le plaisir… Cela reste une très belle visite et une belle découverte d'un lieu qui nous fait sentir tout petit.

This temple dates back to 738 and has the world's largest bronze statue of Buddha so we included it in our day trip to Nara. We spent about an hour in the area looking at statues and reading some informative displays. The cost to enter the Great Buddha Hall is 600 yen and you could buy a combo ticket for 1000 yen to get access to the nearby Todaiji Museum. There are signs in English but most are in Japanese so I used a Google Translate to help read some of the signs I felt would have some interesting facts about the hall. There is an area outside the hall and near the exit that sells souvenirs like post cards and small gifts. The Tadai-Ji Temple is grand and worth a stop if you have time in Nara. It is close to the Kasuga Taisha and Nara Park areas which are very nice to walk through and you will see lots of deer. Make sure you wear good comfortable shoes because there is lots of walking that is worth doing in Nara. We did a day trip to this area from Osaka and found that the Kintetsu-Nara Station was convenient for us and is about a 30 minute walk to the Todai-Ji Temple area. There are quite a few cafes, restaurants and convenience stores throughout the area but we did bring some snacks.

朝一番、鹿に挨拶しながら南大門から参道を通って大仏殿に向かいました。中門に突き当たって西（左）に進んだ所で拝観料を支払う入口はさほど混んではいませんでしたが、廻廊に囲まれた大仏殿（金堂）手前の広場では記念写真の撮影に勤しむ中国人が多くいました。一方で大仏殿内に入ると欧米人が目立ち、かなり時間をかけて丁寧に見学しており感心しました。何度拝んでも盧舎那大仏のお姿は息を呑む迫力と有難さがあります。御朱印も殿内でいただけますが、こちらは外国人が列ばないからか空いていました。 次に二･三･四月堂方面へ向かうには、出口を出て左（東）方向へ進みます。そこは手向山八幡宮の参道でもあります。鳥居の前で欧米人が撮影していたので手前で立ち止まって待っていたところ、英語で丁寧にお礼を言われました。多くの外国人観光客は当然のコミュニケーションが取れるというのが、今回の旅での率直な感想です。手向山八幡宮にお詣りした後左（北）へ進むとすぐに三月堂とも呼ばれる法華堂があり、向かい側（西）には四月堂（三昧堂）があります。此処まで車で来るには、事前に許可証の申請が必要です。 三月堂の北隣にはお水取りで有名な二月堂がそびえています。石段を頑張って昇って二月堂から下を眺めると、眼の前の良弁（ろうべん）杉の向こうに奈良のまちがひろがっています。御朱印は南側に向き合う建物でいただけます。

It’s impossible not to be impressed by this astoundingly large temple. Despite the volume of people I think this was my number one highlight of Nara. I think it was worth the fee to enter - you can see it and get a view without a ticket but I’d recommend going in.

La visita se efectúa entre los cientos de ciervos que están sueltos en la zona, con categoría de animales sagrados con los que hay que tener atención ya que buscando comida te buscan en las bolsas. El templo es Impresionante tanto por la estructura como por la majestuosidad de los edificios. En el interior está el Buda mas grande de Japón, según nos contaron, cuya imagen junto con la policromía del propio buda y del resto de imágenes, hacen de este lugar una verdadera atracción para la vista

Be prepared to walk to get to this temple, but you'll be rewarded with an amazing number of Buddhas once you arrive. The largest bronze Buddha dominates the shrine, as you would expect. However, other immortals and gods are also in residence and are worth the time to study the carvings and expressions. We could barely hear our guide even with our earpieces in because of the noise of the crowd.

Es gibt viele Tempel und Schreine, die man während seines Japans-Aufenthalts besuchen kann. Dieser Tempel gehört zu den absoluten "must sees". Die riesigen Statuen sind atemberaubend und man wird ein wenig demütig. Überaus empfehlenswert ist auch das dazugehörige Museum. Für 400 Yen mehr kann man sich im Museum umschauen und die mitunter langen Schlangen am Tempel umgehen, da man direkt im Museum ein Kombiticket erhält.

It is a great Buddhist temple. You get there through the huge Great South Gate with enormous Guardian Kings saying "Ah" and "Um". Deers are roaming there. The Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden building in the world. It's roof is decorated with 2 golden "shibi" (boot-like structures). There is a beautiful bronze lamp on the post in front of the hall. Of course, the main attraction of Great Buddha Hall is the huge (15 meters) black bronze Buddha - the largest Buddha statue. His hands' gesture means: "Fear not" and "Your wish would be granted". It is surrounded by multiple small golden Buddha figurines. His hairstyle consists of multiple curls (round balls). There are two golden Buddha statues on the left and on the right of the great Buddha. There is also a pair of huge guardians (Heavenly Kings) inside Great Buddha Hall. There is a wooden figure of healer outside the temple (looks like a Halloween character skeleton in red clothes from the distance). They say you should touch it in order to get well. There are other interesting buildings and structures: Nigatsydo building with a balcony overlooking hills and grounds, bell tower with a huge bell, golden pagoda poll, sculpture of lions standing back to back, and many more. Nara is an easy day trip from Kyoto. Allow at least 2 or 3 hours for Todai-ji temple.