Nara was once the ancient capital of Japan. There are many historical sites, artefacts, relics, temples and shrines. There is a proof that the capital flourished in the 8th century. Nara is also rich in nature. Mountains, primitive forests and parks enhance the attraction of Nara.
This tour includes Kofukuji Temple, Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Shrine, which are World Heritage Sites.
We will also visit the Nara Park which is famous for deer.
Let's enjoy the tour in Nara together !
At your hotel in Osaka or Nara
You can choose any hotel or train station near your accommodation.
If you stay at a hotel in Osaka, we will start the tour earlier.
Kofukuji Temple is one of the World Heritage Sites in Nara.
It was designated as a place of Historical Monuments of Ancient Nara in 1998.
You can see beautiful structures such as the Central Hall, the Octagonal Halls, the Pagoda, the east hall and the pond in the temple.
You can also learn about the history of the ancient capital and Buddhism here.
Let's enjoy walking in the temple together !
The Nara Park is famous for a lot of deer.
They have been regarded as messengers of God since ancient times.
They fit well with the scenery of this holy city.
Let's enjoy seeing a lot of deer while walking in a beautiful park.
The garden area was a part of the Kofukuji Temple precinct before.
The garden is a landscape garden. It is a relaxing and peaceful garden.
Greeneries, stones and ponds make the garden's serene beauty.
You can see seasonal flowers there.
Let's enjoy walking in the quiet and peaceful garden.
There are some restaurants near the Todaiji Temple.
You can choose your favorite food restaurant. Some of them serve the traditional Japanese cuisine.
Todaiji Temple is one of the World Heritage Sites in Nara.
It was designated as a place of Historical Monuments of Ancient Nara in 1998.
You can see the amazing Great Buddha, the Buddha's Hall which is the biggest wooden structure in Japan, the beautiful south gate, and magnificent scenery from the hall.
You can also enjoy the history of Nara through different structures in this temple.
Let's enjoy visiting temple structures built in different periods.
Kasuga Shrine is also one of the World Heritage Sites in Nara.
It was designated as a place of Historical Monuments of Ancient Nara in 1998.
The forest behind the shrine is also a world heritage site.
The forest has been preserved well as a sacred place.
This shrine has beautiful orange colored structures, hanging lanterns and 3000 stone lanterns.
The shrine's crest is a wisteria flower so we can enjoy different types of wisteria flowers in the shrine and the shrine garden in May.
The deer is a messenger of God in this shrine. The scenery of deer and lanterns is picturesque.
Let's enjoy visiting the sacred place.
At your hotel or other places that you will choose.
If you stay in Osaka, we will finish the tour later.
At your hotel or other places
Guide fee
Hotel pick up in Nara or Osaka
Transportation and admission fees for you
Transportation fees for the guide
Lunch costs for you and the guide (approx. 1000 to 1500 JPY for each)
On this tour we'll visit three world heritage sites, a garden and a park. If you want to visit other places, please feel free to let me know. I will arrange the tour according to your request.
Also, if you want to change the meeting time, please feel free to ask me.
We'll be able to finish the tour at shopping district in Nara or Osaka if you want.
You will be able to enjoy the local food there.
This tour will show you the following;
・ The history of Nara
・The correlation between Shinto and Buddhism for Japanese people.
・The traditional and beautiful gardens
・The important role of deer in Nara
・Special foods in Nara
・Culture and rituals in Nara
Atsuko-san has delivered an excellent Osaka overview tour for us. She has been very communicative through the trip even before confirmating the reservation asking about customizing, answering general questions about Japan, providing helpful hints about sights for helping us choose. On the day of the trip, she arrived at our hotel on time and took us around to the different spots by metro, rearranging schedule as needed, took us to a nice restaurant for lunch and overall very caring. Just FYI be prepared for a good amount of walking as part of the tour Would highly recommend Atsuko-san.
Hello Mr. Suresh N, Thank you for your kind review and comment for me. I am happy to hear you enjoyed the tour yesterday. I wondered you would enjoy walking in the heat on the tour. I also enjoyed showing you especially the temple. It was fun to share Buddhism with all of you. You must be in Kyoto now. Please enjoy the Kyoto tour today and your Nara tour tomorrow. Thank you for joining my tour. Best regards, Atsuko
Atsuko was a wonderful guide, she was so helpful with information leading up to the day. She was exactly where she had explained she would be on arrival and at the time she said. It was extremely hot in Osaka and Kyoto, Atsuko helped us around and altered the itinerary to suit our children and elderly family members who were struggling with the heat. Would highly recommend at Atsuko
Hello Ms. Natasha, Thank you for your wonderful revies and comment for me. I had a great time with your family yesterday. It was very hot and humid, so everyone was tired walking around Arashiyama. I think it was good to skip the shrine and change to the market. I enjoyed talking and playing with your three little cute girls. Thank you for joining my tour. Please say hello to everyone and enjoy Hiroshima today. Best regards, Atsuko
We were a family of 4 adults and 1 child. Atsuko was really accommodating and adjusted all the times considering a 4 year old. We saw what we planned and couldn't be happier.
Hello Ms. Elizabeth H, Thank you for your kind review and comment for me. I really enjoyed showing my home town to you. It was fun to talk with you and your family. Dahlia is very cute. I am happy I could join your family trip. Please let me know if you have any chance to visit Osaka again. Thank you for joining my tour. Best regards, Atsuko
Thanks to Atsuko we had a perfect day exploring Nara and Osaka with our two kids! She picked a great Sushi Restaurant for lunch and we learned so much about the Japanese history and Culture. 100% recommendations :)
Hello Ms. Anke, Thank you for your kind comment and review for me. It was great that we could visit both Nara and Osaka Castle today. I was worried if we could do this tour or not when I saw the pouring rain this morning. I really enjoyed talking with you and showing my favorite place, Nara. If you have another chance, please visit Nara again. Please say hello to everyone. Enjoy the Universal Studio tomorrow. Thank you. Best regards, Atsuko