This guide covers a single day in Uda-Matsuyama, the old merchant district of Oouda in Uda City, Nara. It takes you in on the Kintetsu line from Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya to Haibara and on by road to Oouda. From there it sets out the admission prices and opening times at Morino Medicinal Herb Garden and the House of Medicine museum, what lunch costs, the dates of the October events, and an order for the day that fits around the garden's closing time.
Getting to Uda-Matsuyama from Haibara Station
Uda-Matsuyama is reached through Kintetsu Haibara Station, the point where the Kintetsu line ends its part of the journey and the Nara Kotsu bus takes over. From Osaka the Kintetsu Osaka Line express runs from Uehommachi, while from Kyoto and Nagoya the Kintetsu line also brings you to Haibara, with the journey times set out in the table below.
| From | Route | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka Uehommachi | Kintetsu Osaka Line express to Haibara Station | about 45 minutes |
| Kyoto | Kintetsu to Haibara Station | about 60 minutes |
| Nagoya | Kintetsu to Haibara Station | about 100 minutes |
The last leg starts at Kintetsu Haibara Station, where the Nara Kotsu bus bound for Oouda leaves. The ride takes fifteen minutes to the Oouda stop, which is the terminus, and that is where you get off. From the Oouda stop it is about a five-minute walk.
Check onward details at the Uda City tourist information office at Haibara Station front, open from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. It closes from December twenty-ninth to January third. By car, the roadside station in Oouda opens from eight to six, varying by season and facility. Its parking lot is free and holds ninety-five cars.
Morino Medicinal Herb Garden and the House of Medicine: Prices and Hours
The day's paid admissions are Morino Medicinal Herb Garden and the House of Medicine museum. Their prices, the garden's opening hours and the museum's winter closure follow here, and of these it is the garden's afternoon closing time that decides how the rest of the day is arranged, more than any of the prices.
| Place | Item | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Morino Medicinal Herb Garden | Admission | 500 yen per person |
| Morino Medicinal Herb Garden | Opening hours | 9:00~16:30, with irregular closure days |
| House of Medicine museum | General admission | 310 yen adults, 150 yen children |
| House of Medicine museum | Group admission (15 or more people) | 200 yen adults, 100 yen children |
| House of Medicine museum | Closed | December 15 to January 15 of the following year |
Pin the garden before you set out with Morino Medicinal Herb Garden on Google Maps, since its irregular closure days make the visit easier to plan with the location in hand. The museum's closure from mid-December to mid-January matters if you are coming in winter. The group rate at the museum applies from fifteen people.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Uda, Nara, Japan →
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Lunch in Uda-Matsuyama: Kuzu, Soba and Herb Cuisine
Lunch in Uda-Matsuyama runs from a plate of kuzu-kiri at a kuzu tea room, through a juwari soba and braised pork set at Mahoroba, to a set meal at a medicinal herb cuisine restaurant. The listed prices are in the table below, and the spread between the lightest and fullest option is wide enough to settle the day's budget.
| Place | Item | Price or hours |
|---|---|---|
| A kuzu tea room | Kuzu-kiri | 880 yen |
| Mahoroba | Juwari soba and braised pork set | 2500 yen |
| Mahoroba | Open | 11:00~17:00 |
| A medicinal herb cuisine restaurant | Set meal | 4500 yen per person, tax included |
Mahoroba is open through the afternoon, which makes it the easy fit for a meal between the garden and the museum. The medicinal herb cuisine set is priced per person with tax included, so it is a sit-down commitment rather than a quick stop. The kuzu-kiri is the lowest-priced option on the list.
Autumn Events in Uda-Matsuyama
October brings events to Uda-Matsuyama on consecutive weekends, and the dates in the table below are the ones to plan around. Uda-Matsuyama Hanakoji comes on the earlier weekend, while Uda-Matsuyama Hanaakari, a projection mapping event, and a students' exhibition by Nara University of Arts junior college share the later one.
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| Uda-Matsuyama Hanakoji | October 17 (Sat) and 18 (Sun) |
| Uda-Matsuyama Hanaakari projection mapping | Reiwa 8, October 24 (Sat), lighting ceremony 17:30, ending at 20:00 |
| Nara University of Arts junior college students' exhibition | Reiwa 8, October 24 (Sat) and 25 (Sun), 10:00 to 16:00 |
To be in town for the October twenty-fourth lighting, browse places to stay in Uda.
Whether to aim for these dates or to keep clear of them is a matter of taste. The lighting ceremony on October twenty-fourth starts at half past five in the evening and the mapping ends at eight. That is after the garden's closing time, so a visit built around the lighting means staying in the town into the evening.
Planning One Day in Uda-Matsuyama
Take the Nara Kotsu bus from Kintetsu Haibara Station to the Oouda stop, a ride of fifteen minutes. The walk in from the stop is about five minutes. Go to Morino Medicinal Herb Garden first, since it opens at nine and closes at half past four. Admission there is five hundred yen per person.
Lunch at Mahoroba fits next, since it is open from eleven in the morning to five in the afternoon, with the House of Medicine museum to follow. Use Uda-Matsuyama on Google Maps to keep your bearings between the stop, the garden and the museum. On October twenty-fourth, the Hanaakari lighting at half past five gives the day an evening ending. For a night in the town after the lights, look through places to stay in Uda.