Nara in March is all about Shuni-e celebrations and Hina Matsuri doll displays. The spectacular burning torches and water drawing at Nigatsu-do Temple are all part of the Buddhist Shuni-e traditions of repentance and purification. National Girls’s Day is celebrated on March 03, with fantastic and rare doll displays in Takatori and Koriyama towns. Other things to do in Nara for the month include Shuni-e festivals at Ikoma’s Hozan-ji Temple and the historic Yakushi-ji Temple. You can also catch some early cherry blossoms from the middle of the month, and there are plenty of art exhibitions too.
Things To Do In Nara March
Best things to do in Nara in March 2025:
1. Nigatsu-do Temple Fire and Water Festivals
Date: 01 to 14 March
Entry: No charge
Time: See below
Location: Nigatsu-do Temple, Nara City
Transport: 30 min walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station
Nigatsu-do is a temple annexed to Todai-ji Temple. The name means ‘February Hall’ because of its famous Shuni-e rituals that happen in the second Lunar month, or March in the modern calendar. Shuni-e is a traditional Buddhist practice for repentance and purification of the body and mind after the old new year and the start of spring (Setsu-bun). At Nigatsu-do Temple, these consist of sacred fire purifications, O-taimatsu, and a water bearing ceremony, O-mizutori.
Otaimatsu Schedule:
March 01 to 11: 19:00 to 19:20, 10 torches of 40 kg
March 12: 19:30 to 20:15, 11 touches of 70 kg
March 13: 19:00 to 19:20, 10 torches of 40 kg
March 14: 20:30 to 20:40, 10 touches of 40 kg parades together
Giant torches are carried up to the balcony of Nigatsu-do Temple and the embers shower down onto people as a purification and blessing. March 12 and 14 are larger events, so be patient and follow the crowd control measures. The biggest display is on the last day, which is Friday 14th.
Omizutori Schedule:
March 12th and 13th: 1:30 am to 2:30 am
For the water drawing ceremony, or the omizutori, priests come out of the temple hall in the dead of night to draw water from the nearby well. Sounds from a secret ceremony can be heard from the outside of the hall until 3:30 am. If you’re staying in Nara City, this is a unique event to attend.
Please note: These events attract large crowds and Todai-ji Temple have issued the following advisory:
Capacity limits will be set depending on the situation on the day. Entry restrictions will be enforced once capacity is reached. Visitors will not be allowed entry after restrictions are in place for safety reasons. Nigatsu-do is a sacred place. We kindly ask visitors to demonstrate mutual respect and consideration while attending.
Special Arrangements for March 12
This day is traditionally reserved for members of Todai-ji's religious organizations (講社/kosha).
General visitors cannot enter designated sermon rooms allocated to these groups.
Torch viewing areas will be divided into:
Zones for kosha members with ribbons.
General viewing areas in plazas (viewing time will be brief and involve movement).
Visitors are encouraged to choose other days due to these limitations.
Rules Inside Nigatsu-do
Use of electronic devices (e.g., smartphones) is strictly prohibited.
Photography, video recording, and audio recording are forbidden.
Eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited.
Visitors should avoid loud noises or disruptive behavior.
Masks are recommended due to expected crowding.
Large group visits are discouraged due to limited space.
Visitors must manage their belongings (e.g., shoes and umbrellas). Foldable umbrellas with covers are preferred.
2. Takatori Castle Town’s Machiya Doll Festival
Date: 02/23 to 03/16
Entry: Free and pay venues
Time: 10:00 to 16:00
Location: Takatori Town
Transport: Tsubosakayama Station, Kintetsu-Yoshino Line.
The historic Takatori castle town has revamped its spectacular, annual Doll Festival displays. There is a walking course you can follow around the town. Many old houses display their prized Hina dolls for passers-by to admire. The Hina Dolls’ House has 500 dolls displayed on a huge 17-tiered scaffolded shelf, and there are some 2000 dolls in a mandala display at Tsuboskayama-dera Temple.
3. Ikoma Mountain Fire Walking Festival
Date: Sun. 02
Entry: No charge
Time: 10:00 to 12:00
Location: Hozan-ji Temple
Transport: Shigi-Ikoma Cable, Ikoma Station
Hozan-ji Temple on Ikoma Mountain will be performing a ‘goma’ or fire offering prayer for prosperity and national security. At this event, you can experience the colorful traditions of Shingon Buddhism. Yamabushi aesthetics will walk barefoot across the burning embers of the pinewood fire. Afterward, you also walk across the dying embers and ashes to rebirth your new year hopes and wishes into the spring.
After taking the "World's Cutest Cable Car" from the foot of the mountain, follow the staircase up from the Hozanji Station, and you will see the sacrificial ground to your left just before the main lantern adorned section to the temple. After the event you can enjoy lunch at any one of the local trendy cafés, visit Hozan-j Temple, or discover more about Ikoma City. Ikoma Sanjou Theme Park, however, is closed until mid-March.
4. Girls’ Day Hina Matsuri in Yamato-Koriyama City
Date: 02/22 to 03/03
Entry: No charge
Time: Business hours
Location: Various locations
Transport: A train from Kintetsu Saidaiji Station or JR Nara Station to Koriyama.
The third day of March (03/03) is celebrated as Girls’ Day with Hina Matsuri Festivals across Japan. (Boys’ Day is 05/05.) Yamato-Koriyama city also has a show to put on with its Doll Festival. Locations include the Yanagimachi and Sakaimachi shopping streets, areas around the Kintetsu and JR Koriyama Stations.
Other things to do in Koriyama include the Goldfish Museum, the impressive Nara Prefectural Museum of Folklore, and the ongoing 22nd Yamato-Koriyama Plum Blossom Bonsai Exhibition at Koriyama Castle.
5. Rare Hina Dolls at Isui-en Garden
Date: 02/05 to 03/03
Entry: 1200 yen
Time: 09:00 to 16:30
Location: Isui-en Garden, Nara City
Transport: 10-min walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station
If you want to view a traditional dolls displays in Nara City, there’s no better location than Isui-en Garden. The garden will be displaying rare dolls in its artifact collection, arranged to exhibit ‘kyokusui-no-en’, which is a pastime of sitting by a stream, reading ‘waka’ poetry, and drinking sake. The exhibition actually runs from early February until Girls’ Day on March 03.
6. Kasuga-taisha Shrine Rice Planting Festival
Date: Sat. 15
Entry: Public space
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Kasuga-taisha Shrine
Transport: 25-min walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
While Buddhist Temples concern themselves with repentance and purification during this seasonal turn towards Spring, Kasuga-taisha Shrine engages in sacred rice planting. Accompanied by song and dance, the ground is plowed and maidens plant rice seedlings in front of the Enomoto Shrine. Pine saplings are also planted in three locations. These rituals date back to 1163.
7. Spring Tea Ceremonies at Nigiwai-no-Ie
Date: Sun.16
Entry: 800 yen
Time: 13:00 to 15:00
Location: Nigiwai-no-Ie, Naramachi
Transport: 15-min walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station
The historic Nigiwai-no-Ie will be hosting tea ceremonies with an early matcha tea harvest. There is a ceremony every hour on the hour from 13:00 with the last ceremony starting at 15:00. If you want to be sure of a place, then best to give them a call in advance (0742-20-1917).
8. Yakushi-ji Temple Shuni-e Flower Ceremony
Date: 03/23 to 03/31
Entry: 1000 yen
Time: See schedule
Location: Yakushi-ji Temple
Transport: 7-min walk from Nishinokyo Station
Nara’s historic Yakushi-ji Temple will be celebrating Shuni-e towards the end of March from the 23rd to the 31st. There are various events scheduled, including the display of over 1000 hand-crafted flowers of 10 varieties.
Sun. 23: Cleaning of the body of the Buddha; 13:00
Tue. 25: Fire walking ceremony; 13:00
Fri. 28: Flower offering in the Main Hall; 13:30
Sat. 29: Children’s parade; 12:45
Sun. 30: Children’s parade; 12:45
Mon. 31: Demon chasing ceremony; 20:30
The ceremonies end of the night of the 31st with a dramatic display of the protector god Bishamonten defeating two demons in a battle amid burning torches.
9. Early Cherry Blossoms at Hase-dera Temple
Date: Around March 10
Entry: 500 yen
Time: 09:30 to 16:00
Location: Hase-dera, Sakurai City
Transport: Kintetsu-Osaka Line from Yamato-Saidaij or Tsuruhashi
Hase-dera Temple in Sakurai City jumps the gun with its show of early cherry blossoms starting from around March 10, depending on the weather. These early bloomers are the Kanhizakura, Oshimazakura, and Kawazuzakura varieties. Other blooms at this time are daffodils and the yellow weeping forsythia or golden bell trees.
10. Get Ready for Nara Cherry Blossoms 2025
Cherry blossoms, or ‘sakura’, usually start to bloom by the end of March. Currently, the blooms are set to start around March 29 in Nara Prefecture. Make sure, though, to keep an eye on the cherry blossom forecast, as things can change. Nara Park and Ukimido Pavilion are two of the best places to view cherry blossoms, but bookmark these Amazing Hanami Spots in Nara as we head into April:
Saho River
Hase-dera Temple
Abe-Monjouin Temple
Mount Yoshino
What’s on in Nara - Music and the Arts
For the month of March, there are a number of select exhibitions in and around Nara. Listed times are first and last entry:
12/01‒03/30: Winter Special Exhibition - The Soul of the Samurai, Various artifacts, Kasuga-taisha Shrine National Treasure Hall, 10:00‒16:30, 500 yen.
02/01‒03/30: Higashikawa Overseas Photographer Awards Exhibition, Nara in the 1970s, Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography, 09:00‒17:00, 500 yen
02/08‒03/16: Treasures of Tōdaiji’s Omizutori Ritual, Nara National Museum, 09:30‒16:30, 700 yen.
02/15‒04/13: Three Generations of the Uemura Shoen Legacy, depictions of women in Japanese art, Shouhaku Art Museum (Gakuenmae Station-Bus), 10:00‒16:00, 1100 yen.
03/01‒04/06: The Arrival of Spring, depictions of spring in historic artifacts, Yamato Bunkakan (Gakuenmae Station), 10:00‒16:30, 630 yen.
03/09: Mixed Choir Soprano Reiko Nakagawa Duo Concert, Yamatotakada Sazanka Hall, 13:30 for 14:00, 2000 yen.
Things To Do In Nara
Author: NARA Visitor Center & Inn