Nara in One Day: Guide to Kofuku-ji Temple — Guide Toshi

Title: Can You Do a Private Day Tour of Nara from JR Nara Station? A Licensed Guide's Report

I met the guests, a group visiting from North America, at JR Nara Station at 9:00 as scheduled. I explained the day's itinerary and we started sightseeing, but since the guests wanted to finish sightseeing early to have time for shopping, I proceeded accordingly. First, at Kofuku-ji Temple, I introduced the transmission of Buddhism and its teachings while explaining the role of Jizo Bodhisattva at the children's cemetery and the meaning of the pagoda at the three-story pagoda, and I showed them the Nan'endo, Hokuendo, and Konpon-do halls. However, the guests did not seem very interested in Buddhist statues or religion. After giving a brief explanation of Kofuku-ji, we moved on to Nara Park, where the guests enjoyed feeding the deer while we strolled through the park. From Nara Park, I guided them to Himuro Shrine, the birthplace of ice, where I explained Shinto. From there, to avoid the crowds of travelers on the approach to Todai-ji Temple, we moved to Yoshikien Garden so the guests could enjoy the quiet Japanese garden, and then we headed from Yoshikien to Todai-ji. At the Great Buddha Hall, I explained the difference between Nyorai and Bosatsu and the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, and the guests were indeed amazed by the imposing size of the Great Buddha. We moved slowly from the Great Buddha Hall to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and I talked about the relationship between the shrine and the deer as we visited the main hall. After visiting the main hall of Kasuga Taisha and its auxiliary shrines, we went to Ukimido Hall, where the guests appreciated the beauty of nature, and then we proceeded from Ukimido to the shopping street in Nara. Although it was a little early, we parted ways there so the guests could enjoy shopping.

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

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.