Nara in One Day: Kofukuji Temple — Guide Nori

Title: What Is a Private One-Day Nara Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Todai-ji, Nara Park, and Kasuga Taisha

The guests this time were visitors from Europe who were sightseeing in Japan. For prior arrangements such as coordinating the destinations, I communicated with one of the guests. Since it was their first visit to Japan, they said they would leave the Nara itinerary entirely to me as their guide, so I proposed the classic route of "Kofuku-ji ⇒ Nara Park ⇒ lunch ⇒ Todai-ji ⇒ Kasuga Taisha," and after obtaining their agreement, we finalized it. Their interests in sightseeing in Japan were history, society, and nature, and I was confident that the ancient capital of Nara could provide sightseeing well suited to those interests.

On the day of the tour, according to the weather forecast, there would be some sunshine in the morning, but a high chance of rain in the late afternoon, so I was prepared to be caught in the rain during the latter half. Fortunately, we did not encounter rain until the very end, and we were able to proceed smoothly through the itinerary. However, about 30 minutes before I arrived at Kintetsu Nara Station, a message came in from the guests saying, "We caught an earlier train, so we will arrive in Nara about 30 minutes ahead of schedule—will pickup be alright?" It was my first experience of guests arriving earlier than planned, but since I usually arrive at the meeting point 30 minutes early, I told the guests, "I will actually arrive in Nara about 5 minutes earlier than you, so I will be waiting at the ticket gate. There is no problem at all."

Five minutes after the train arrived, I met the guests safely at the ticket gate exit. We did a brief self-introduction and confirmed the itinerary. Since the start ended up being moved up by 30 minutes, we confirmed that we would follow the planned route and also finish 30 minutes earlier.

Because the destinations were Buddhist temples (Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji) and a shrine (Kasuga Taisha), I explained in detail the history and relationship between Shinto and Buddhism. The guests listened intently to my explanations and deepened their understanding by asking many questions along the way. In addition to the history and culture of ancient Japan, the guests also seemed to greatly enjoy the nature of Nara, with its fresh greenery in full flush. Furthermore, one of the guests showed a strong interest in the Japanese language and asked for detailed explanations about the origins of kanji, katakana, and hiragana.

Finally, an episode related to lunch. On this day, in addition to the usual foreign tourists, Nara City was overflowing with students on school trips and excursions from elementary, junior high, and high schools. Under these circumstances, it was expected that ordinary restaurants would involve considerable waiting. So I remembered that there is a staff cafeteria (6th floor) at the Nara Prefectural Government Office, quite close to Todai-ji. When I proposed, "There is a staff cafeteria on the top floor of the prefectural office where the general public can also dine—how about it?" the guests eagerly agreed, saying "This is a rare experience," and it was decided immediately. All three of us chose the "shabu-shabu pork salad set meal" (750 yen). With quick service and no waiting time, both the guests and I were very satisfied with lunch at a spot with a great view.

The guests, being curious, cheerful, and talkative, made for a very enjoyable tour.

That is all.

Click here for more details: Nara Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Nori

Hi, everyone! I’m Norifumi Kamon, a government registered guide interpreter. Please call me “Nori”, or “Kamon-san”.
Let me introdece myself. I was born on April 17th in 1952 in Miyazaki prefecture in Kyushu island. I used to be an English teacher of Osaka Prefectural high school. When I retired from a teacher ten years ago, I decided to get a professional guide license. I wanted to play a role of the bridge between Japanese people and the people from all over the world as a second life of mine. After two years efforts, I finally got the guide license. Since then, I have guided several handreds of foreign people mainly in Kyoto and Nara for about five years except Corona Pandemic period. Almost all the tourists were deeply impressed by the beauty of nature, traditoin, culture, and art of Japan. I can surely help you enjoy and be satisfied with the sightseeing in Japan. And I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.