Top Nara Prefecture Tours by Duration

Discover both the traditional and contemporary sides of the ancient Japanese city of Nara. This private half-day walking tour allows you customize your itinerary to your own interests and soak yourself in the history and culture of the dynamic city. Select which places you want to see, from Nara Park and Mt. Wakakusa to Todai-ji Temple and Nara National Museum.

This is a guided walking tour covering all must-sees of Nara Park area. Instead of looking down at your smartphones or guidebooks for information, look up and around to enjoy the city. Our guide is sure to tell you history, picture spots, about deer and so on. The tour usually ends around 1 pm; you have enough time to explore the city on your own afterwards.

If you don’t speak Japanese, it can be hard to navigate Japan like a local. This tour of Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, is designed to  help you do just that. Leave the crowds of Kyoto behind and discover the peaceful city of Nara: its temples, shrines, traditional houses and divine deer. Explore the backstreets and alleys of the merchants district, and try authentic street food.

The ideal introduction for first-time visitors, this half-day, small-group walking tour of Nara covers a mix of must-see and under-the-radar sights. Enter a historic merchant’s house, discover a hidden Japanese pyramid, and visit the iconic shrines of the temple complex—with plenty of time to interact with Nara’s resident deer. A tasty lunch and admission tickets to all shrines are included.

Cover the highlights of Nara during this guided half-day biking tour. Mingle with other travelers as you cycle between locations, from the iconic stone lanterns of Kasuga Taisha to Nara Park’s resident deer. Tick off more sights in less time from two wheels. Bottled water and a safety helmet are included.

Explore Nara away from all tourists, on a bike, reach the top of Wakakusayama Mountain, explore a lost temple in the forest, admire hidden Buddhist statues carved in stone... A tour that mixes sport, nature and Japanese history for a very unique experience and amazing memories.

Are you excited to hear there is a 1300 years old remain under reconstruction? If yes there is no way to skip this tour! Its been more than 60 years since a research team started digging and reconstructing Heijo Palace but it is said that only one-third of it is revealed so far. But in 2018 a memorial park was built where you can visit reproduced huge buildings by bikes and Segway! You will also a dynamic video showing the ancient days on a five dimension screen in a VR theater. You can enjoy the thousand-year-old remain and the latest technology at the same time on this tour! Don’t forget to book your tour to visit a famous remain, with your otomo guide!

This private and customizable tour for Nara is perfect for guests who would like to have their own itinerary planned based on their interests and preferences, allowing guests to experience the city at their own pace.

Discover a town famed for its Edo-style castles and orange goldfish on a half-day tour of Yamato-Koriyama from Nara. In a small group limited to 9, you’ll visit town highlights such as Koriyama Castle and a Goldfish Museum before stopping for a snack at K Coffee, a cafe that features fish tank converted from a phone booth. Plus, you’ll visit a goldfish farm to learn more about the popular pets.

Nara's charm is not only deers but also its traditional country lifestyle, which has been inherited from generations to generations.Half a day off-the-beaten walk to an oldest road "Yamanobe no michi" will lead you to deep cultural understanding on satoyama villages. You will come across small farm stands and people's life.

Nothing better than to discover Nara by the explanations from an -almost-local person! The first fixed capital of Japan, a high city of tradition and history, you will learn more about the history of this city and Japan. I lived in Nara for 3 years and it is my favorite place in Japan. You will discover an ancient capital which became a calm countryside city. Nothing to hurry, nothing to worry!

This is the perfect tour for first-time visitors to Nara who want to get a good overview in a short space of time. You won’t have to worry about navigating as a guide takes you around a shortlist of Nara’s best sights. See the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Todai-ji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, visit the traditional houses of Naramachi, and see the city’s many semi-wild deer.

Come with me to discover Yoshino, in the South of Nara prefecture! Surrounded by nature and inside mountains, Yoshino is the place to visit especially during the beautiful sakura season, better between April 13~15. But even out season, Yoshino is a high place of History, mostly with Kukai, Buddhist monk from the 9th century the Southern Imperial Court of Japan (14th century).

How about visiting the oldest five-storied pagoda in the world and world heritage, Horyuji Temple with your otomo guide? Horyuji Temple has brought the dawn of Japanese Buddhism and is the oldest world heritage in Japan. There are many historical Buddhist image and structures that will make you excited and overwhelmed! The five-storied pagoda there is the oldest one in the world, but its quake-proof technique of the structure is the same as used in TOKYO SKYTREE! You will also visit an ancient tomb, a unique temple, the countryside with fields and rice fields, and a café peculiar to a historical city! Don’t forget to book your tour to visit the oldest world heritage in Japan!

Don’t miss the famous Buddhist image of Todai-Ji temple and the three thousand bamboo lamps at “Kasuga-Taisha” if you come to Nara! We will take you there and give detail explanation about them on this tour. You will first visit the popular hall of the great Buddha which is a national treasure and world cultural heritage. “Nigatsu-do” which is located behind Todai-Ji temple is not so popular, but the view of the whole city from there is superb! After hiking through a forest with wild deer and visiting a famous Japanese sword shop, we will get to “Kasuga Taisha”. The three thousand bamboo lamps there is beyond description! Don’t forget to book your photogenic tour!

Nara is the ancient capital of Japan prior to Kyoto, and the Japanese dynasty started from this area. In this tour, you will visit representing sightseeing and photo spots in Nara. This tour is designed to enable you to enjoy spots in a completely relaxed way while strolling around early in the morning with fresh air and fewer tourists. Nara is the only place in the world where about 1,300 wild deer roam freely. You can get really close to those cute animals and feed them while they bow begging for deer crackers. Let's experience ancient Japanese culture and enjoy the site of adorable animals.

Have you heard of Yamatokoriyama city? Although it is not really famous in Japan, It has many tasteful areas remaining from the Edo period and also traditional industry such as indigo dyeing and Japanese sweets. The ruin of Koriyama castle which was built more than 400 years ago still has the stone wall used back then. The view you see there might be the same as samurais saw 400 years ago. Not those samurais itself but their side business that make this city special. They started to cultivate goldfish and Yamatokoriyama is now one of the largest producing areas of goldfish in Japan! Don’t forget to book your tour to visit the town of goldfish and explore the traditional culture!

This tour helps you uncover the best of Japan’s ancient capital—Nara in half a day. Visit multiple temples, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Todai-ji Temple, and Kofukuji Temple. Learn about the semi-tame deer that freely roam Nara Park, and visit a sake brewery too. You’ll save hours researching Nara’s highlights by having a guide to lead the way and take you to a shortlist of the city’s best sights.

This private and customizable tour for Nara is perfect for guests who would like to have their own itinerary planned based on their interests and preferences, allowing guests to experience the city at their own pace.

~Explore numerous national treasures with a local guide in the early but quiet morning ~ Our certified guide who lives in Nara will take you to all the highlights. Be an early bird and take advantage of fewer tourists and the fresh air on a placid morning in the ancient capital. It is a great pleasure for us to take you to our beloved Nara and its highlights.

Explore Nara with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual guide! Your guide will help you efficiently enjoy a full-day walking tour of Nara and introduce both modern and traditional sides of this dynamic and ancient Japanese city. Nara's proximity to Kyoto and Osaka, and its rich collection of traditional sites, make it an ideal destination for a day trip from either of its larger neighbors. Your private guide can help you efficiently enjoy a full-day walking tour of this ancient Japanese city. You can start your day at your hotel in Osaka, Kyoto. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

This is a Nara private tour using by public transportation from Kyoto. The guide will pick you up at the hotel. No problem with train and bus transfers, as the guides are with you! The destinations of the tour includes Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha, deer park, and other UNESCO World Heritage Site temples! For details of the tour, you can look at the what to expect section and inclusions excursions section of this web page.

With a bilingual local guide, you can visit places like Nara Off the touristic path and feel relaxed. You will see places and experience things that most people wouldn't do by themselves. Trust your guide and you will have an amazing time with us.

Yoshino, famous for its cherry blossoms, is also the birthplace of a mystic religion called Shugen-do that draws elements from Buddhism, Shintoism, and animism. While walking through this temple town you might be able to see practitioners clad in their peculiar costumes and hear the sound of the giant conch being blown. The three fierce-looking main statues of Zao-do Hall are exhibited only for a limited period of time a year in spring and in fall. We can look at them really closely and in peace and quiet. Moreover we will visit a sweets shop that makes a special kind of sweet typical of this region and the gorgeous room where emperors ruled from 1336 to 1392. Nature, culture, and history all come together in this exciting and extraordinary tour that will give you new insights into Japan.