Let's take a walk around Naramachi (奈良町, literally "Nara Town"). This is the former commercial district of Nara, where some traditional residential buildings and warehouses have been preserved and are open to the public. Experience the scale of the buildings and the intimate narrow streets while enjoying the boutiques, shops, cafes, restaurants, and museums that now line the area.

Naramachi's Edo period and earlier buildings were mainly 'Machiya', long, narrow 'townhouses' that served as both shops and homes for local merchants. The shop fronts of 'Machiya' were often kept narrow to save on taxes, which were calculated on the frontage of a property rather than its total area. Today, a handful of 'Machiya' have been preserved and opened to the public as museums.

Don't miss the chance to end the tour in Japan's oldest sake brewery for some traditional sake tasting.