Visit Nara and Osaka must-see sites in one day including Nara "deer" park, Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple, Osaka Castle, and Dotonbori for the evening. Tour itinerary is flexible so you can focus on one of the two areas. Good for those who have a limited time and start to feel you've seen too many shrines and temples in Kyoto.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
JR Kyoto station, Osaka station (exact location to be sent by email), Kintetsu Nipponbashi/Namba station or at your hotel (extra fee)
Nara Park - dear deer!
Todaiji Temple - Great Buddha (500 yen or 600 yen from 2018)
Option: Kasuga Taisha Shrine (500 yen)
Naramachi - have a quick local lunch and visit the famous mochi maker
Osaka Castle (museum: 600 yen)
Dotonbori and Namba area - explore the area for the night!
Option: Umeda Sky Building for the night view
Ending Point
Namba area or Osaka/Umeda station
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Guide fee, hotel meet-up in Kyoto and Osaka
Transportation fee (you and guide), lunch/dinner (you and guide), entrance fee
1. You will be walking a lot during the tour, so please wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes and bring an umbrella or poncho in case of rain.
2. Transportation fee and lunch/dinner for you and guide is not included. Even if you have a JR pass or IC card, you'll be asked to purchase tickets for the guide in cash. With the standard itinerary, the total transportation cost for this tour per person will be around 1,500- 2,200 yen per person from Kyoto station to Osaka via Nara without JR pass. With JR pass, it will be about 500-1,000 yen, but please note that you still have to cover guide's transportation fee which is 1,700-2,200 yen. It varies depending on your choice of using bus/subway or walking at certain points and tour-end point.
If we meet at Kintetsu Namba or Nipponbashi Station, additional transportation fee of 500 yen have to be covered for the guide's transportation fee.
3. If you'd like to enjoy the illuminated Dotonbori during April-October, I recommend starting the tour at 10:00 am
Please note below before booking and contact me first for availability:
1. My schedule on GoWithGuide site is open for the next 3-month only.
2. All my listed tours include hotel pick-up fee and guide fee. Please ask for quote for custom tours.
3. For tours in the peak season, I am currently prioritizing mult-day tour requests (at least two "full-day" tours per group) and accept one-day request between the booked tours etc.
***Excursions ***
I can guide you in Okayama (including Naoshima and Kurashiki), Hiroshima (Onomichi, Shimanami islands cycling, Miyajima, etc.) and Shikoku (Iya valley etc.) if you pay for my transportation.
The above areas can be visited from Osaka/Kyoto in one or two days.
Hello! I am Seiko, National Licensed Guide since 2007.
I was born and raised in Kurashiki (Okayama pref.), spent my college days in Kyoto, lived in Osaka for more than 15 years and recently moved to a city near Nagano (guiding in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara etc during peak season).
I studied in Wisconsin, USA and worked as a translator/interpreter, market researcher, and executive assistant for global companies for many years where I enjoyed spending a precious time with people from different backgrounds and cultures and broaden my world and horizons.
I myself am a traveler for life, been to more than 30 countries and all the prefectures in Japan, and always excited to help my clients with their planning. I am also a hiker, kayaker, scuba diver, and snowboarder enjoying myself mostly outdoors in every season.
Besides city tours in Osaka and Kyoto, my tours can stretch to introducing local food and drinks, sake/beer brewery visit, visiting less-touristy areas, excursions to enjoy the nature such as walking/hiking tours, baseball games, tours for kids, onsen day-out, and more!
Let's have a fun time and unique experience with me!
Important Notes before booking:
1. Please check availability with me, even for open dates, before booking!
2. Transportation fee, entrance fee, and lunch/dinner for you and guide during the tour are NOT INCLUDED in the guide fee and to be paid at each site. Please bring enough cash to separately pay them during the tour. (Licensed guides get free admission at temples/shrines/castles and most tourist attractions, except for some facilities like aquarium, zoo, amusement parks, etc.)
3. Please let me know IN ADVANCE if anyone in your group has any physical challenge and/or food allergies.
Thank you!
“Pleasant and energetic guide!”
We had a great time touring Osaka with Seiko! She was accommodating and flexible and incorporated places the kids wanted to visit like a cat cafe. It was interesting to learn about the history and significance of the city. She even introduced us to special foods which was a treat! We spent a long day with her but she was always upbeat and cheerful and gave us a memorable day in Osaka. Thank you Seiko!
“Mount Myoko at its best ”
This was our first time in the Myoko kongen area and Seiko has been the perfect host for us. Friendly, kind and well organised, she took care of all logistics including bringing us to a nice local place serving specialties of the region for lunch. Seiko knows herself best around the area and knows the best views and spots to visit . We absolutely loved it and would recommend it anytime :)
“Half day tour around Kyoto”
Seiko was an excellent tour guide for Kyoto with broad and deep knowledge about everything from the specialized shrines to history of sake distilleries. She met us at our hotel and even adjusted our schedule on the fly to try and avoid the expected rain that day. We toured the Fushimi Inari Shrine, explored the Fushimi district and ate at a local yakitori restaurant, went to Kimozu Dera, and explored the streets and alleys in Ninenenzaka/Sannenzaka. It was a very full 6 hours covering a lot of areas and we thoroughly enjoyed it all.
Seiko T.
Thank you Tuan for your kind words. With your flexibility, no hesitation to walk further to see more, and trusting my recommendations, we could see both major attractions and true local scenes. Lucky us, we didn't get much rain during the tour despite the almost hopeless forecast:) Hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Kyoto and your family trip in Japan! Best reagards to all of your sweet family members. Seiko
$273/ per group