Nara vs Yokohama
The short answer
Nara is the cheaper trip, by roughly 30% a day — $60–105 against $85–145 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Mar–May, Oct–Nov, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇯🇵 Nara | 🇯🇵 Yokohama | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $60–105cheaper | $85–145 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $4–7cheaper | $5–8 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $70–130cheaper | $95–190 |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.30–2 | $1.40–2.30 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $1,700 | ≈ $2,150 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇯🇵 Nara
Japan's first permanent capital: a giant bronze Buddha, a park full of bowing deer, and a compact old town that rewards staying the night after the day-trippers leave.
- Kura$$Bars & izakaya
- Hirasou$$Restaurants
- Harushika (Imanishi Shuzo)$Sake breweries
- Naramachi Brewery$$Bars & izakaya
- Nakatanidou$Restaurants
🇯🇵 Yokohama
Tokyo's polished port-city twin: a futuristic bayfront skyline, Japan's largest Chinatown, and just enough breathing room to feel like its own destination, not a suburb.
- Noge$Nightlife
- Manchinro Honten$$$Restaurants
- Motion Blue Yokohama$$$Live music
- Bashamichi Taproom$$Nightlife
- Yokohama Chinatown street stalls$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Nara | Yokohama | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Japanese. Signage around the park and temples is well translated; spoken English is limited elsewhere. | Japanese. English signage is strong around the bayfront and stations, being part of Greater Tokyo; spoken English is still limited outside hotels. |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥). US$1 ≈ ¥150
- Time zone
- JST (UTC+9), no daylight saving
- Power
- Type A/B plugs, 100V (US plugs fit)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink everywhere
- Emergency
- 110 police · 119 fire/ambulance