Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour — Guide Kazu
February, 2025
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
- 7:00 Meet at the hotel 7:28 Board JR train bound for Nara 8:40 Arrive at Nara Station 9:00 Nara Park 9:15 Todai-ji Temple 10:00 Kasuga Taisha Shrine 10:50 Short break (Lunch)
- 11:50 Yakushi-ji Temple 13:00 Toshodai-ji Temple 13:45 Board Kintetsu train bound for Kyoto 14:45 Tour ends
Title: What's a Private Day Tour of Nara Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Nara Park, Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji
The guest was visiting Japan for the first time from North America. The guest was very quiet and asked no questions at all, made no restroom or shopping stops, took very few photos, and did not feed the deer any crackers. However, the guest kindly answered my questions. Because of this, we moved through each site more quickly than scheduled. Since we had extra time, after Yakushi-ji Temple I also guided the guest to Toshodai-ji Temple, which had not been part of the original plan. We met at the Hotel at 7:00 and arrived at Nara Park just before 9:00, when it was nice that there were relatively few tourists. We were also able to board the bus smoothly. Since we started early in the morning, the guest slept well on the Kintetsu train on the way back. With the Nara Kotsu one-day bus pass, it was helpful to receive discounts at Yakushi-ji Temple (100 yen) and Toshodai-ji Temple (200 yen). The photo was taken at Yakushi-ji Temple.
Click here for more details: Nara Day Trip from Kyoto: Customized Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Kyoto～Nara | 720JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | JR Nara Station～Kintetsu Nara | 600JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Kintetsu Nara～Nishinokyo | 300JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Nishinokyo～Kyoto | 760JPY |
| Total | 2,380JPY | ||
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.