Nara Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Kazu
August, 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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 12:00 Meet at JR Nara Station 12:45 Horyu-ji Temple 14:45 JR Nara Station 15:00 Nara Park & Todai-ji Temple 16:30 Kasuga Taisha Shrine 15:55 Tour ends at JR Nara Station

What Is a Private Day Trip to Horyu-ji Temple and Nara Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visiting Japan for the first time from North America. Since Horyu-ji Temple is very spacious, simply walking around worked up quite a sweat. The guests really appreciated the air conditioning in the Treasure Museum. They seemed to know very little about Prince Shotoku. Perhaps due to the heat, the usual souvenir shops on the way to the Yumedono Hall were not open. The round-trip bus from JR Horyu-ji Station was nearly full, with about half of the passengers being foreign visitors. Since we arrived in Nara after 3:00 in the afternoon, many of the deer were resting in the shade. On Sunday, access to Kasuga Taisha Shrine was severely congested and took a long time. The road is narrow, and there is only one entrance to the parking area, so even the route buses had to line up behind ordinary vehicles, making it slow just to get in and out of the parking area. It would be helpful if the entrance and exit could be separated. After arriving at Nara Station and finishing the tour, the guests all headed off to dinner together. The photo was taken at Kasuga Taisha Shrine.
Click here for more details: Nara Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Nara~Horyu-ji Temple | 230JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | In front of Horyu-ji Station~Horyu-ji Temple approach | 220JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Horyu-ji Temple approach~In front of Horyu-ji Station | 220JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Horyu-ji Temple~Nara | 230JPY |
| Section 5 | Free Pass | JR Nara Station~JR Nara Station | 600JPY |
| Total | 1,500JPY | ||
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.
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep…
Jul 24, 2026
Trail65429092687
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Tour
Kazua Sumi is a very accomplished guide.He has deep knowledge about the history and culture of Japan. He is flexible and accommodates changes if you so desire. He is also very empathetic. I had a sprained back and he ensured we took elevators everywhere. You will be lucky if he is assigned as your guide .
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience…
Jul 23, 2026
489caelinp
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Guided Tour
My friend and I had a great experience on the tour. We travelled all around Kyoto with our guide Kazuo Sumi. He is a sweet older gentleman who had a great depth of knowledge about each place we went to. We told him places we wanted to go and he made the itinerary for us. There is no one better to have as your guide!!
Jul 16, 2026
margaretsM7923ON
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Great way to see Kyoto
Wonderful tour and exceptional guide.
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided…
Jul 9, 2026
Sandra_B
Kazuo was great and…
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kazuo was great and provided some excellent recommendations. There’s a lot of walking so make sure you are prepared.
