Historic Monuments of Ancient Capital of Nara - from Osaka
In Nara, eight Buddhism temples and Shintoism Shrines are included in the World Heritage as “Historic Monuments in Ancient Capital of Nara” as those represent close cultural exchanges between Japan and China, and even Hellenism culture in the 8th century. On this tour we will visit three of them in a day from Osaka.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
TBD (at your hotel)
Nara Park
This park, which includes Kofuku-ji Temple, Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga-taisha Shrine, is home to 1,300 deer that are considered to be sacred, and is world-famous as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan.
Kasuga-taisha Shrine
Built in 768, this Shinto shrine has a legend which says that the deity descended here on the back of a white deer. That is why deer are considered to be sacred here and why there a so many deer in Nara. The four main halls are designated to national treasure, and there are many other important cultural property buildings on the premise.
lunch
Todai-ji Temple and the Big Buddha
Todai-ji Temple which is well known as a temple of the Big Buddha was constructed as a protective temple of Japan in the 8th century. Standing on the premise are the Daibutsuden which houses the Big Buddha, and other national treasure buildings and statues.
Kohuku-ji Temple or Nara-machi Historical Area
Kofuku-ji Temple was originally built in 669 and moved to its current location in 710. In the 9th century, it became the most influential religious power in Japan, and since then it had been worshiped along with in Kasuga-taisha shrine under the Shintoism-Buddhism Unity Theory until they were separated by law in the 19th century. Standing on the premise are beautiful Buddhism halls and pagodas.
Ending Point
TBD (at your hotel)
Want to personalize this tour?
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This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee
Insurance
Transportation fare, entrance fees and lunch (you and guide),
Transportation fare
Entrance tickets, Kasuga Tasiha JPY500, Todaiji JPY800, Kofukuji JPY900 / per person
Ask for details
Tour Important Information
As this is aTRAIN and WALKING tour, comfortable shoes are recommended.
Tours are NOT covered by insurance.
Transportation fare, entrance fees and lunch for guests and guide are NOT included.
Direct payment for tickets, lunch and others will be occurred in CASH on the spot on the day of the tour.
Ask for details.
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
About Tour Guide Hiroyuki T.
Hi!
I had been working for Wakayama Prefectural Government for 38 years, mainly in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations. I am a national certificated English guide and I have a lot of knowledge and experience in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations.
I am very good at cultural heritages.
And Koyasan and Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture are inscribed in the World Heritage List as parts of “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". I was a project manager of "the Koyasan and Kumano World Heritage Inscription Project” at Wakayama Prefectural Government. I know inside and out of Koyasan, Kumano, Wakayama and other places in the Kansai area.
I have a lot of experience of guiding as I was also in charge of international relations for a long time at the government.
I will be able to provide interpretive guiding service for you around Koyasan, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka and other places as I was a cultural heritage management and international relations professional.
I am sure you will be able to get deeper understandings on Japanese culture and that your trip with me will be memorable one.
If you need a good guide in the Tokyo area, I have a friend on GoWithGuide I can recommend you!
Reviews
Thomas G.
“Amazing tour”
Hiroyuki was incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommend him for a tour.
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Hiroyuki T.
Thank you very much for reviewing the tour. It was a very hot that day. It was the hottest day of the year. It is very good to know that you enjoyed the tour despite of the heat. Hiro
Michael R.
“Amazing memories is koyasan!!”
He is kind and great guide thank you!!
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Hiroyuki T.
Thank you very much for reviewing the tour. I will be looking forward to working with you again, keep in touch. Hiro
George S.
“Four Incredible Days with Hiro.”
We spent four wonderful days with Hiro as our guide in Japan - one day in Osaka and three days in Kyoto - and it was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Hiro's knowledge of the region, its culture, and its history is extraordinary. Having previously served as General Manager of the government's Cultural Heritage Division, he brought an incredible depth of expertise to every site we visited. Whether we were exploring temples, shrines, Zen gardens, or historic districts, Hiro's explanations brought everything to life. He even sketched diagrams to help us understand the different schools and lineages of Buddhism, which we found absolutely fascinating. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather for most of our tour, but even on a rainy day, Hiro created an unforgettable experience. We joined a traditional Japanese sweets-making class alongside a group of adorable local schoolchildren and visited the spectacular TeamLab exhibition in Kyoto. That rainy day ended up being one of our favorites. Hiro seemed to know everything - from the best photo locations and lunch spots to the most convenient restroom stops. One particularly memorable lunch was Japanese curry. Although Hiro admitted he doesn't enjoy spicy food, he cheerfully joined us and bravely sweated his way through the meal while we all laughed together! In addition to showing us Japan's famous sights. Hiro introduced us to peaceful Zen gardens and taught us about meditation, adding another meaningful dimension to our experience. Hiro is not only exceptionally knowledgeable but also kind, patient, and genuinely passionate about sharing Japan's culture and history. We cannot recommend him highly enough. The beautiful places he showed us and the insights he shared made our time in Kyoto and Osaka truly unforgettable
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Hiroyuki T.
Thank you very much for your kind message. We had beautiful days in Koyasan, Kyoto and Nara. It is very good to know that you liked the tours, experience and food. It was really nice that I could show you different things to you, like big sacred site for Esoteric Buddhism, Shinto Shrine, Buddhism statues, Pagodas, Zen Gardena and old town. But there are a lot more to see in this area. Please come back to Japan before I retire. I will be looking forward to seeing you again. IF we do not see each other in this life, I will see you again in the next life. Hiro
$285/ per group
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