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- Car Tour (driving guide)
Deep in Nara by car ~ Off the beaten track ~
Joined 2023
In the southern part of Nara Prefecture, you will see more ancient and diverse cultural and historical ruins, temples, shrines, and views. Please enjoy the ancient atmosphere off the beaten track.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel or train station in Nara Prefecture
- We can meet at the train station or in the lobby of your hotel
Hasedera Temple
It has a nickname, Flower Temple. You will enjoy flowers in every season. It has an ancient history and dynamic wooden buildings.
Abe Monju-in
It is a temple that has beautiful traditional buildings on a beautiful pond.
Imaicho Town
This is listed as an Important Traditional Buildings area. In the late medieval era, it was built as a powerful Ikko Sect town. The whole town is well-preserved. You can see the people's lives from four hundred years ago.
Lunch
There is a nice casual restaurant in Imaicho. They also serve some traditional sweets,
Ofusa Kannon
You will see some local beliefs for Kannon (Bodhisattva) and beautiful flowers like roses.
Horyuji, Chuguji, Horinji and cosmos garden
Horyu-ji Temple is the oldest wooden building in the world.
It has many important things (national treasures) and was first listed as a World Heritage Site in Japan.
Along with Chuguji, they have extraordinarily beautiful Buddha statues. Worth a visit.
Ending
At your hotel or train station
Ending Point
Your hotel or train station in Osaka
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
National licensed guide fee
Vehicle expenses (fuel, accident insurance, highway tolls, parking fees, and other maintenance fees)
Air-conditioned vehicle (5 seater Volkswagen Golf 8 with safety equipment)
Hotel or train station pick up and drop off
Insurance except for car accident
Lunch or tea for you and the guide
Entrance fees (approx. 4000 yen per person; no guide is required)
Tour Important Information
I will use my car for our tour.
This tour will be closed during November 21st to December 5th because of the traffic.
This tour will be closed during November 21st to December 5th because of the traffic.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2023
About Tour Guide Shuji O.
Hi, I am Shuji, a licensed tour guide living near Kansai International Airport.
I taught world history in high schools for four decades. So, I can explain Japanese culture or history in an easier way tailored to you who have different cultural and historical backgrounds.
I also practiced Kendo, Japanese fencing, for more than four decades, and now I enjoy growing vegetables and going fishing. Therefore, I can also share some Japanese culture and its nature.
I have traveled to more than 25 countries and all over Japan. I’m also passionate about photography and know many photogenic places in Japan.
If you prefer to go off the beaten track, I can take you to hidden gems, including some cozy restaurants. Of course, I also know how to enjoy the crowded, most popular tourist sites. I am here to make your trip stress-free. See you soon!
Reviews
“Perfect Introduction to Osaka: Customized Half-Day Tour with Expert Guide Shuji”
For our first time in Japan, an awesome orientation and introduction to Osaka was provided by the wonderful Shuji, who is an extremely knowledgeable historian. He planned a fun and well-paced half-day customized tour for just the two of us. We HIGHLY recommend him to be your guide! Our day began with meeting him in our hotel lobby where we reviewed an Osaka map and discussed in general our itinerary for the day. From there Shuji provided practical tips for navigating our Umeda hotel location, the local metro and train stations, and introduced us to the Namba area, including the Dotombori district and markets, where many options are available for dining. We chose to enjoy lunch at one of his favorite restaurants for an authentic sit-down meal. From there we visited Osaka Castle park and grounds where Shuji presented an interesting and historic overview as well as showing us great photo opportunities. Then, per our request, we had reservations for a ride on the Aqualiner for city views from the water. We disembarked for a lovely waterfront stroll along the embankment of the Daini Neya River, followed by ending our lovely day with Golden Hour drinks at one of Shuji’s hidden gems overlooking a gorgeous rose garden. Shuji is such a kind and generous gentleman and professor. We thoroughly enjoyed our discussions and afternoon with him as he provided the “master key” for fantastic inside tips, traditions and suggestions for making the most of our travels in Japan.
Shuji O.
(20 reviews)Thank you for the fabulous review! You are such excellent travelers, even without my guide. There is a Japanese saying that one hears one and knows ten, which is exactly what you did. We had a wonderful afternoon. It will be a good memory for me. Thank you so much!
“Narra day trip and Uguisu Waterfall”
We really wanted to see some of Japan's wild forrest, so Shuji organized for a taxi van to take us (from Narra)to Uguisu waterfall. This was really off the beaten track and was quite unique.Although It was very wet we really enjoyed it.He also guided us through Nara's Deers, buddhist temples and statues. I would recommend Shuji for anyone looking for a guide, he is a long time Osaka resident, great with kids, good English and a nice Man.
Shuji O.
(20 reviews)Thank you very much for your kind message. Your request made this tour a fantastic one. Despite the rain, we explored the sacred forest and met many beings and wonderful views. I hope your children had fun and it was exactly what you wanted. I also enjoyed it very much. And I hope this tour will be a good memory for your family. Thank you very much.
“Visit Kyoto with Shuji, your very own history profesor ”
What better way to discover amazing Kyoto than with Shuji ? This ex- history professor who speaks very good English, well traveled, and at the same time passionate of working his family-rice field, made us discover both the great history and spiritually of the place and the every day life of the region and Japan at large. The tour was adjusted to our preferences and Shuji's suggestions fitted perfectly who we are, him having immediately understood us. Thank you Shuji for these memorable moments we shared and the diverse and profound discussions we had on the way.
Shuji O.
(20 reviews)Thank you so much for the great review. And thank you for your wonderful and interesting questions. You hit the nail on the head. It means that you have a deep understanding of Japanese history and culture. We had a really lucky day with great weather. We were able to choose places off the beaten track. They were very beautiful. Thank you again for a happy day! Shuji O.
