GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
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GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!
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Tour of the Great Buddha of Naracover image

Tour of the Great Buddha of Nara

Nara
4 hours

(Highlights) The Great Buddha of Nara is a magnificent structure weighing some 500 tons. Originally built in 752 AD, the stature is 15.9 meters high excluding the pedestal and its face 4.8 meters long. Subsequently, it was damaged by natural disasasters, fires and wars and was repaired several times. It was completely rebuilt in the Edo period (1603-1867). You will be amazed at the splendid image of the Great Buddha calmly seated on the pedestal with the look of a perfect repose and passionless calm. His right hand shows mercy and left hand, the wisdom of the universe. The building housing this huge image, The Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple, is the largest existing wooden structure in the world, having an area of 54 meters by 49 meters and a height of 45 meters. It was burned down by a fire twice, but was rebuilt in the Edo period. (How to enjoy) You will be amazed at how huge the Buddha image is. Immerse yourself in the solemn atmosphere it creates amid the odor of burning incense, wonder at the ancient technology and the wisdom and the devotion of people. After all, you will never end up not being deeply impressed with the aura the "Daibutsu-sama" Great Buddha emits. Everywhere around the Great Buddha Hall, in the meantime, you can enjoy mixing with tame deer which do you no harm but ask you for food, "shika-sembei", which is being sold at the nearby stalls for 150 yen a pack containing some 50 grams of the deer food. You will feel very happy feeding, stroking and hugging the cute animal whose number exceeds, perhaps, 100. (Others) The transportation fare between Kyoto and Nara on a Kintetsu train is 620 yen (plus 510 yen if you take a limited express train). The entrance fee to Todaiji temple is 600 yen.

FROM$105/ per group
Japan Tour Guide - Tatsuhiro N.
Tatsuhiro N.
4.58 / 5
(65 reviews)

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Japan Tour Reviews

A great customizable tour of a fascinating area!

Our guide, Hitomi A. was wonderful! Very knowledgeable, kind and empathetic. Our driver, Mr. Take was also great. One of us uses a rolling walker, so they made sure the car trunk was large enough to handle it easily. They took us to the volcanic area Sakurajima and gave us a real insight into the whole are. Hitomi suggested a restaurant that specialized in Waygu Beef (the best comes from Kagashima) and it was delicious and very reasonably priced. The Sengan-en Garden and Villa gave us a great background on the feudal system in Japan as well as the beginning of the Meiji era. It was also beautiful to boot! I cannot recommend Hitomi A. highly enough. Thank you for making this such a wonderful experience!

Michael C.

Hitomi A.

Thank you for visiting Kagoshima and for taking the time to post a great review. It was a pleasure to show you some of the best that Kagoshima has to offer on a beautiful, sunny day. I hope that you will remember Kagoshima when you see your beautiful Satsuma Crystal cut glass and Satsuma ware. I wish you all the best.

Personalised, Insightful, and Unforgettable Kyoto with Kazue

What a delightful day with Kazue in Kyoto! She helped us design a custom itinerary that engaged both me and my young teen. Her flexibility throughout the day allowed us to follow our curiosity and energy levels. Our conversations were rich and wide-ranging — from local culture and customs to daily life, real estate, and the education system — making the experience deeply meaningful. Kazue’s warmth, knowledge, and attentiveness made the day a memorable journey through the heart of Kyoto. Highly recommended!

Perfect day with Jolly

We had an amazing private tour with Jolly and it was the highlight of our stay in Tokyo. Jolly is a very kind ,warm person, beautiful and is perfect in every way! We loved her patience, doesn’t rush us and very helpful at all times. She radiates with exuberance.I genuinely felt so much better catching the train in Tokyo because of her guidance .She went beyond our expectations.We were so comfortable with her straight away and she treated us like family, so did we. We loved talking to her about everything especially my husband who felt very connected. Jolly you made us all happy for the entire day . It was fun , funny and always full of surprises. We were sad at the end of the tour because we had to say goodbye. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for showing us what Japanese hospitality is . We really hope to see you again next time. 5 stars isn’t enough. You are 100 stars and more if only I am allowed to rate your service. Arigato gozaimasu.

Norlina (elah) A.

Jolly S.

Oh! What a heartwarming review you gave me...although you must've been a bit tired after our Tokyo tour and you have a big day to Nikko today. Thank you so much for taking your time. I really appreciate it!! I also want to thank you all for your kindness, tolerance and politeness during the tour. Yes, you treated me just like family. You always paid respect to our culture and patiently listened to my sometimes a bit too long stories. You and your husband are sophicticated, intelligent and at the same time very humolous. It was a great fun to talk with you. We talked even about the world future! Of course I was fascinated with your cutest daughter as well. She is not just beautiful but energetic, cheerful and really pleasant to be around. She is a real angel. Again thank you very much for finding me. I really had a wonderful time with you. Take care and keep enjoying your stay in Japan. Arigatou gozaimashita!!!

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