Nara is a very beautiful and interesting city known by the old name of "Yamato". It was established as the first permanent Japan's capital in the year 710. There are a lot of historical monuments in this ancient city, such as Todaiji Great Buddha Hall, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Kofukuji Temple and so on. Nara"deer"park is also one of must-see areas. Let's walk around and play with the lovely deer!!
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
JR Kyoto station or your hotel in Kyoto city
JR Kyoto Station
Meet you at Kyoto station or at your hotel
Todaiji Great Buddha Hall via Kofukuji and Nara Park
We are heading to Todaiji Temple,walking through Nara deer park. Todaiji temple has the Great Buddha Hall "Daibutsu-Den" the world biggest wooden architecture, and it also houses the world biggest bronze statue of Buddha cast in the 8th century. Nara"deer"park is also one of must-sees. there are a lot of deer roaming around the park. They are said to be messengers of the deities. They will bow to you to get a cracker. Let's feed them deer crackers.
Todaiji Nigatsu -do Hall
One of the oldest wooden halls in Todaiji temple complex. On the way to the Nigatsu-do hall, you may feel an atmosphere as if you traveled to the past. It's also a location where many historical dramas have been filmed. Experience it for yourself!
Naramachi Old Town (Enjoy shopping and eating)
Let's have lunch at a restaurant in Naramachi. What would you like to have? How about Nara's specialty food, Nyumen noodle or Kakinoha-Sushi (=Pressed Sushi wrapped in persimmon leaf).
Uji Green Tea Town
On your way back to Kyoto, stop by Green-tea Town in Uji, visit the Phoenix Hall(Ho-o do) depicted on the surface of the 10-yen coin, and taste the best green tea.
Fushimi Sake Brewery's Town
Fushimi is famous for its many sake breweries. Here you can enjoy many different kinds of sake. We'll visit a couple of breweries and go through an old sake brewery town, and return to Kyoto city area by train.
Ending Point
16:30 See you off downtown Kyoto
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Guiding fee
Total amount of cash you may need: approximately 5000 yen per person(Transportation fees:about 2000 yen , lunch: about 1500 yen , admission fees: 1500 yen, other personal expenses)
In this tour, we would take Kintetsu limited Express train or JR train from Kyoto to Nara. If you have "JR Rail Pass", you can take JR train for free. And then we will basically walk around Nara park and surrounding area. It would be advisable to use a Taxi appropriately to save time.
On the way back to Kyoto from Nara, I would be able to take you to Uji Green Tea Town. If you like Japanese Green tea, please let me know.
P.S.
If you like sake rice-wine, I have an option for you. Shall we visit Fushimi sake production area? You can enjoy various kinds of fresh sake!
I usually use public transportation systems such as trains, buses, taxi, and so on.
I like outdoor activities. If you would like to do hiking, cycling etc., please feel free to ask me in advance.
Hi! I'm Koichi. I was born in Osaka, I studied in Kyoto when I was a university student. Now I live in Shiga next to Kyoto. I am a national government licensed tour guide. I have been guiding about 160 groups over the past twelve months.
I usually guide my customers mainly in Kansai region including Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe and Shiga by public transportation systems.
Well, I am curious about Japanese history, especially the history of Japan's ancient times since I was raised next to the world biggest mausoleum of the ancient Emperor called "Nintoku" in Sakai city Osaka which has just become one of the world cultural heritage sites. I dug out some ancient earthen ware vessels around there when I was a primary school student like the adventure archaeologist “Indiana Jones" (It’s our secret!!). That was my hobby. Now, one of my hobbies is outdoor activities such as mountaineering, kayaking, skiing and others. So I would like to take you to some good places where you can enjoy Japanese unique nature.
I love to guide foreign visitors from all over the world. I think it is my calling or heavenly given job. Let's go and enjoy together! I hope to see you soon.
Raisy M.
“fantastic!”
We were a group of 4. We spent 4-half days with Koichi. It was a fabulous time and experience. Koichi is knowledgeable, easy going, flexible and funny. We toured various areas around Kyoto/Osaka. Initially we hired Koichi for 3 days but the experience was so positive that we added in another day and we hiked to a non tourist area with him. I must add in that Koichi captured so many amazing photos of us too. He really is a man of many talents-history buff, foodie, hiker, photographer. We will visit Japan again and meet up with Koichi again!
Peter F.
“Two days with Koichi”
We spent two very enjoyable days with Koichi: one in Kyoto and one in Nara. He is very knowledgeable and helped us a lot with regard to travelling about in Japan. He speaks and understands the English language very well. He suggested that we swap the itinerary days round to make the best of the weather. We can thoroughly recommend him as a guide and I am sure anyone fortunate enough to have him as their guide will thoroughly enjoy themselves. Peter and Jane
Koichi W.
Hi! Peter san, Jane san. Thank you for your heartwarming review. Your words motivate and encourage me for the next guiding. I am truly honored to have met you two as a wonderful couple. I sincerely hope that you will have the opportunity to visit Japan again. I am so happy to have shared two wonderful days with you. Arigato!! Koichi
Eduardo C.
“Outstanding Guided Tour Experience with Koichi!”
Me and my family had the pleasure of spending a day exploring the beautiful city of Kyoto with Koichi as our guide, and I can confidently say that it was an awesome experience. From the very beginning we were impressed by how friendly and kind Koichi was always with us, not to mention his enormous excitement in explaining Kyoto's historical and tourist attractions, which made the whole experience even richer and more fun! Koichi’s passion for the city was contagious, and his ability to tailor the tour to our interests made the experience feel incredibly personal. Furthermore, Koichi knows all the best photo spots, which are simply sensational! If you are visiting Kyoto or Osaka, and want to fully immerse yourself in its beauty and history, I highly recommend Koichi as your guide. He will definitely make your visit an extraordinary one!
Koichi W.
Hi! Thank you very much for giving me such a nice rating and wonderful comment. I am very happy to have shared a wonderful time with you and your lovely family members. I really hope to see you in the near future. Arigato and Ookini very much!!
$351/ per group