Nara Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Toshi

May, 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

  • 1. 10:30 Meet at JR Nara Station
  • 2. 11:00 Nara Park
  • 3. 11:30 Yoshikien Garden
  • 4. 12:00 Hikawa Shrine
  • 5. 12:30 Okumura Corporation
  • 6. 13:00 Nandaimon Gate
  • 7. 13:30 Takeout Lunch (Kakinoha Sushi)
  • 6. 14:30 Foot of Mount Wakakusa
  • 7. 16:00 Great Buddha Hall
  • 8. 17:00 Dismissal @ JR Nara Station

Title: What's a Private One-Day Nara Walking Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. We met at Nara Station at the scheduled time of 10:30 and walked to Nara Park, where they enjoyed feeding the deer. Afterward, at the request of one of the guests, we strolled through Yoshikien Garden and visited the adjacent Himuro Shrine, where one of the guests drew a "great blessing" fortune from the ice omikuji and was delighted. After Himuro Shrine, we visited Okumura-gumi for an earthquake simulation and to learn about seismic isolation structures, which is meaningful in an earthquake-prone country like Japan, and then moved on to Todaiji Temple. We saved the Great Buddha Hall, which was crowded with school excursion students, for later, and enjoyed conversation over a lunch of persimmon leaf sushi. After that, since the weather was excellent, I recommended climbing Mount Wakakusa, and we walked up the mountainside together. It was a steep climb, but the view from there was superb, and the guests were able to fully enjoy the beauty of nature. After descending Mount Wakakusa, I guided them through the Great Buddha Hall and explained the differences between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Japan's unique syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, and ways of living derived from Buddhism, all of which they listened to attentively. Once the tour of Todaiji Temple concluded and the guiding time came to an end, we walked from there to Nara Station, where I saw them off.

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

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1BusIn front of Todaiji Great Buddha Hall～Foot of Mount Wakakusa100JPY
Total100JPY

Tour Report by Toshi

After a rather long teaching experience at Japanese college, I converted my career about 6 years ago into working as a tour guide for the tourists visiting Japan.
As my career overseas, I’ve been in the UN and the Japanese Embassy, all in the USA, totaling more than 6 years.
And then I had made a big change in my career from a diplomat to an academic researcher. For that career to achieve, I studied abroad and won a doctorate degree in linguistics from Indiana University and landed a teaching position at college in Japan.
With all these interesting and exciting experiences I’ve made myself ready to enrich your tour and make it both enjoyable and worthwhile.

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Apr 26, 2026
39ferdinandr
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Exceptional and entertaining
Great tour better the tour guide Toshi.

Apr 9, 2026
X1429XKclaudiam
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Sehr zu empfehlen
Wir haben als Familie diese 6-stundige Tour durch Kyoto…

Jun 28, 2025
WilliamAlfonso_R
Toshi is a very eloquent, knowledgeable, and diligent tour guide.
Viator review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Toshi was…

May 30, 2025
Z
ZevP5
Best Tour Guide!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Yoshi was the best guide!! He was so…