Nara Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu

Can You Do a Private Day Trip to Nara? A Licensed Guide's Report on Kasuga Taisha and Todaiji

The guest was traveling solo from Europe. The itinerary spanned from Tokyo to Kyoto and Nara, with plans to see Himeji Castle the next day before heading on to Hiroshima. At first the guest seemed somewhat elusive—sometimes there was no response during my explanations, yet at other times there were clear reactions, which made me realize the guest was indeed listening. As we spent time together, however, the guest's warm character gradually came through. The guest was deeply moved by the ancient, serene atmosphere of Kasuga Taisha's stone lanterns and the sacred old trees said to be a thousand years old, was amazed by the scale of the Great Buddha, adored the deer, and even approached elementary school students on a school trip to strike up a conversation—truly a kind-hearted and sincere person. The attached photos are from that moment. The children had prepared handouts under their teacher's guidance, intending to approach foreign visitors themselves, but being suddenly addressed by a foreigner, they got a little flustered and shy. While we rested on a bench together talking about the history of Nara, a deer came up and snatched the day's itinerary sheet I had prepared and began eating it, and the guest fought valiantly to get it back. Later in the afternoon, I learned that the guest had felt a bit confused that morning—I never quite understood in what way—and had not been feeling entirely well. For lunch we ate persimmon leaf sushi. The guest had a little beer to refuel and said, "I am back!" Even so, the guest mentioned feeling a bit tired and wanting to head back early, saying the day had already been plenty enjoyable. We walked slowly, took a taxi, and in the end the guest returned to a hotel near Kyoto Station on the 16:37 train from JR Nara Station. I love the moment of parting with a firm handshake.

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Tour Report by Kazu

Hello, this is Kazu Akiyama, your tour guide. Nice to meet you and welcome to Japan. Thank you for joining me on the tour. Now I am a retired salaried worker, living in Osaka. I have been very much interested in not only learning Japanese history, culture, religion myself, but also talking about them (sometimes going off topics) in English with tourists from all over the world as well. I am so excited being with you as your guide on coming day! I am very much looking forward to you enjoying with me visiting the must-see places and some of the hidden gems. See you soon. Thank you – Kazu Akiyama