Day Tours
Private Nara UNESCO Tour: Ancient Temples & Sacred Deer
1
DAY(S)
5
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
Day Tours
Private Nara UNESCO Tour: Ancient Temples & Sacred Deer
1
DAY(S)
5
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
Day Tours
Private Nara UNESCO Tour: Ancient Temples & Sacred Deer
1
DAY(S)
5
DESTINATION(S)
6
GUESTS (MAX)
From US$240 per person
From US$240 per person
Overwiew
What You’ll Discover
Overwiew
What You’ll Discover
We designed this one-day journey to reach the roots of Japanese spirituality in Nara, the country's first permanent capital. A chartered vehicle carries you between two of Nara's separate districts — no train transfers, no schedule to work around — as we take you from Horyu-ji, home to some of the oldest wooden buildings standing anywhere in the world, to the Great Buddha of Todai-ji and the free-roaming deer of Nara Park, with your English-speaking guide throughout and free time for lunch along the old shopping street. It's a day built for travelers who want to reach back to the very beginning of Japan's recorded history.
We designed this one-day journey to reach the roots of Japanese spirituality in Nara, the country's first permanent capital. A chartered vehicle carries you between two of Nara's separate districts — no train transfers, no schedule to work around — as we take you from Horyu-ji, home to some of the oldest wooden buildings standing anywhere in the world, to the Great Buddha of Todai-ji and the free-roaming deer of Nara Park, with your English-speaking guide throughout and free time for lunch along the old shopping street. It's a day built for travelers who want to reach back to the very beginning of Japan's recorded history.
Two separate districts, one seamless day — a chartered vehicle covers what would otherwise mean transfers and timetables.
Three UNESCO World Heritage sites in a single day, starting with the oldest wooden buildings standing anywhere on Earth.
More than a thousand wild deer, officially designated as national treasures, that bow before they take a cracker from your hand.
A bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated inside one of the largest wooden buildings on the planet.
Highlights
Explore the Highlights of Your Journey
Highlights
Explore the Highlights of Your Journey
Horyu-ji Temple — Home to some of the oldest wooden buildings standing anywhere in the world.
Nara Park — A vast park where more than 1,000 sacred deer roam freely among ancient temples.
Todai-ji Temple — Marvel at the majestic bronze Great Buddha inside Nara's magnificent wooden hall.
Ukimido Pavilion — A small lakeside pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine — A sacred shrine approached along hundreds of moss-covered stone lanterns.
Information
Where This Journey Takes You
Information
Where This Journey Takes You
This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.
This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.
Area
Kansai
Kansai
•
Duration
1 Day(s)
Group Size (Max)
6 Guest(s)
Destinations
5 Destination(s)
Transport
Chartered Vehicles
Pick-up
At hotel in Osaka City or Osaka-umeda Station
Drop-off
At hotel in Osaka City
Guide Language
Japanese, English
Itinerary
Explore Every Moment Along the Way
Itinerary
Explore Every Moment Along the Way
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Osaka Pick-Up
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Osaka Pick-Up
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Osaka Pick-Up
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Meet your guide in central Osaka and settle into the private van for the drive to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital.
Horyu-ji Temple
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Horyu-ji Temple
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Horyu-ji Temple
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Step inside Horyu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 7th century and home to some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings. Its ancient pagoda and main hall have endured for more than 1,300 years, offering a remarkable glimpse into the early days of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Nara Higashimuki Shopping Street
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Nara Higashimuki Shopping Street
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Nara Higashimuki Shopping Street
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Wander Nara's old Higashimuki Shopping Street at your own pace and pick lunch from its covered arcade of local restaurants and snack stalls — self-paid and entirely up to you.
Nara Park
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Nara Park
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Nara Park
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Walk into Nara Park and let the wild sacred deer wander past you across the lawns — officially designated as national treasures, more than 1,000 of them roam here completely free; hold out a cracker and a few will bow their heads before taking it, an encounter that isn't staged and isn't a petting zoo.
Todai-ji Temple
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Todai-ji Temple
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Todai-ji Temple
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Step inside Todai-ji, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and look up: a bronze Great Buddha some 15 meters tall, seated in the dim, cavernous hall of one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
Ukimido Pavilion
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Ukimido Pavilion
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Ukimido Pavilion
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Pass by the Ukimido, a small pavilion that seems to float on its own reflection at the edge of a quiet pond, on the walk toward Kasuga Taisha.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Follow the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, lined with some 3,000 stone lanterns donated over centuries — a path unlike any you've walked before, beneath a canopy of ancient trees.
Kasuga Ninai-jaya Garden Cafe (Optional Tea)
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Kasuga Ninai-jaya Garden Cafe (Optional Tea)
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Kasuga Ninai-jaya Garden Cafe (Optional Tea)
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Stop at Kasuga Ninai-jaya, a traditional garden cafe within the grounds of Kasuga Taisha — a quiet pause to enjoy matcha at your own expense, with the tranquil gardens and Nara's famous deer nearby, before the walk back.
Return to Osaka
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Return to Osaka
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Return to Osaka
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Drive back from Nara into central Osaka as the afternoon draws on.
Osaka Drop-Off
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
Osaka Drop-Off
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
Osaka Drop-Off
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
The tour ends here in central Osaka, a day that reached all the way back to the beginning of the nation's recorded history.
Policies
Important Travel Information
Policies
Important Travel Information
Talk to Our Team
Every journey is different. Our Japan Travel Specialists are here to answer your questions, refine every detail, and help you choose the itinerary that best matches your interests, travel style, and pace.
Inclusions
- Charter Vehicles - Tour guide - Entrance tickets and activities to the following: ・Horyu-ji Temple ・Todai-ji Temple ・Kasuga Taisha Shrine - Inbound Travel Insurance
Exclusions
Cancellation
Additional Info
FAQ
Everything You Should Know Before Booking
FAQ
Everything You Should Know Before Booking
Find quick answers about planning, booking, payments, and traveling with My Japan Tour. If you don't see what you're looking for, simply get in touch with our team.
Find quick answers about planning, booking, payments, and traveling with My Japan Tour. If you don't see what you're looking for, simply get in touch with our team.
Who is this tour for, and what will I get to explore?
Families and first-time visitors wanting to reach the beginning of Japan's recorded history — ancient wooden temples, the Great Buddha, and free-roaming, bowing deer.
Who is this tour for, and what will I get to explore?
Anything I should know before booking?
Can this tour be customized?
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