Travel as a Gateway — A Blog to Enrich Your Life

Travel with Masaru

From Nara travels to daily words of wisdom.
Travel enriches life.

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奈良へようこそ Welcome to Nara

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Today's Wisdom

Words from a
Life Lived in Journey

A short line to pause for, drawn from everyday life here in Nara.

From inside a dim wooden townhouse, a large window of vertical wooden slats rises from the floor nearly to the ceiling. Through the narrow gaps, a bright autumn lane is visible, with a row of old wooden townhouses under tiled roofs and a tree in red and yellow leaves. Low sunlight passes through the slats and lays many thin golden stripes of light across the dark, polished wooden floor, while the walls and pillars of the room stay in deep shadow.
Newest Wisdom

Word 173

Being kind to someone and spoiling someone are two completely different things. However, even if we respect the other person (rather than spoiling them) and treat them with kindness, if that person is presuming on our kindness, the result will be a disappointing one. How ironic it is. Then, even if, for the other person's sake, we treat them firmly and with love so they can break free of that dependence, with what may be called true kindness, the other person may mistakenly feel that they have been scolded, been angrily told off, been warned, or been made to lose face, and in some cases, it often happens that we even become the target of unjust resentment. In short, whatever our intentions may be, how they are taken depends largely on the other person. Let us accept this to some degree and let it be.

Naramachi Koshi-no-Ie, the Lattice Home (Gangoji-cho, Nara City). A free facility recreating a Naramachi townhouse of the late Edo to Meiji periods. Its front lattice makes it hard to see in from outside, yet easy to see out from within.

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Article

Featured Guide

JR Kyoto Station platform sign reading Kyoto, with directions to Shin-Osaka and Maibara

📅 April 2026  |  🚃 Kyoto & Nara  |  ⏱ 7-min read

No. 001 How to Get from Kyoto to Nara by Train: JR vs Kintetsu & 4 Easy Options on the Kintetsu Line

JR or Kintetsu? From the limited express to the express, all four ways to reach Nara by Kintetsu — matched to your budget, schedule, and travel style, plus tips for traveling with large luggage. The article that started it all.

Read the Guide → Browse All Guides →

Travel Nara by Ear

YouTube

White paper parasols among blooming peonies in a Nara garden

01 — BGM

Sounds of the Journey

Original ambient music from Nara.

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Today's Wisdom ASMR characters in summer yukata

02 — ASMR

Today's Wisdom (ASMR)

A quiet moment with a fountain pen.

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Ukimido pavilion reflected in Sarusawa Pond at sunrise, Nara

03 — Reading

Today's Wisdom Reading

A quiet reading, for the journey of life.

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About This Blog

Hi, I'm Masaru

I'm a Japanese travel enthusiast with a deep love for Nara.

Have you ever wondered how to get from Kyoto to Nara? Or hesitated at Yamato-Saidaiji Station, unsure whether to get off the train?

I see many foreign visitors looking lost at Yamato-Saidaiji Station.

That sight is exactly what inspired me to start this blog.

So let me ask you something else.

Why did you choose to visit Nara instead of Kyoto?

I believe it's because you're searching for something Kyoto simply can't offer.

I want you to travel Nara with confidence — and fall completely in love with it. That's why I write.

Travel with Masaru is for those who seek the unique charm that only Nara can offer.

Beyond the famous deer and Tōdai-ji, I believe Nara's true magic lies in the quiet back-streets and hidden shrines that most visitors walk right past.

But travel isn't all there is to life. Life itself is a journey.

On this blog, I also share "wisdom for living" in various forms — a kind of guide for that greater journey called life.

Why This Blog?

Travel as a Gateway — A Blog to Enrich Your Life

  1. A Companion for Life's Journey

    More than travel tips — a source of life's wisdom too. Written to make your journey deeper and richer.

  2. Written to Help

    Not written to chase clicks — every article exists because a real traveller needed clear guidance.

  3. Off the Beaten Path

    Nara's most beautiful places are the ones most visitors never hear about. We know where they are.

  4. For International Visitors

    Written specifically for English and Traditional Chinese speakers exploring Japan.