Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour — Guide Kazu
November, 2024
This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan.
Tour Itinerary
- 8:20 Meet at hotel 8:37 Board JR train to Nara 9:41 Arrive at Nara Station 10:10 Nara Park 10:20 Todaiji Temple 12:40 Kasuga Taisha Shrine 13:30 Lunch (vegetarian restaurant) 14:45 Naramachi Nigiwai no Ie 15:15 Shopping 16:37 Board JR train to Kyoto 15:23 Arrive at Kyoto Station Tour ends
Title: What Is a Private Nara Day Tour Like on a Busy Weekend? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests visited Japan for the first time from North America, and were traveling for about a month including Thailand and South Korea. I only managed to reach the guests the day before, and since it turned out they preferred a plant-based diet, I hurriedly booked a suitable restaurant, so the tour started in a somewhat hectic state. I was concerned that on a Saturday, many domestic tourists come to Nara by private car, and that concern proved true. On top of that, it was the season for a traditional children's celebration, so the roads leading to Kasuga Taisha Shrine were narrow and heavily congested with private cars, and the number of route buses had been reduced more than usual (which I had not anticipated). Taxis were also reluctant to go to Kasuga Taisha. In the past, during a major holiday week, the congestion had already been troublesome, but this time the number of buses was even more drastically reduced (effectively only one). In the end, we had no choice but to walk from the Great Buddha Hall to the main shrine of Kasuga Taisha. I felt sorry because one of the guests had recently undergone surgery. The guests walked as best they could, but had I done more research in advance, I think I would have removed Kasuga Taisha from the itinerary. Because we spent a considerable amount of time at Kasuga Taisha and also missed one of the return JR trains, the tour ended about an hour late. On weekends and holidays in Nara, it is wiser to leave Kasuga Taisha out of the plan. The photo was taken at a pond near Todaiji Temple.
Click here for more details: Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Kyoto～Nara | 720JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | JR Nara Station～JR Nara Station | 600JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Nara～Kyoto | 720JPY |
| Total | 2,040JPY | ||
I was born and grew up in Kyoto and now live near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. I used to be a schoolteacher of English and welcome a lot of students from foreign countries. I really enjoyed showing them around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima. I have been a professional tour guide for about 8 years. I always try to let my guests learn Japanese traditional and modern culture. Since I was born in Kyoto, I know a lot about its culture and people. I myself enjoyed several sports, such as soccer, judo, and marathon when I was young. I’m much interested in baseball and sumo. My motto as a tour guide is to let my guests learn about our tradition and culture precisely and really enjoy themselves. I strongly hope you will enjoy the tour in Japan with me.
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo.…
Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi…
Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour…
Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had…
Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.