Kyoto Trip Overview
In this private tour, you can visit principal attractive sites in Nara using your time the most efficiently.
Of course, you can customize the tour as you’d like.
For example, if you omit ”Nara-machi, old merchant district ”, you can add Fuishimiinari shrine in Kyoto.
Visiting both Fushimiinari and Nara in one way would be very convenience and you will have enough time to enjoy both.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Kyoto, Japan
Trip Category: Tours & Sightseeing >> Full-day Tours
Explore Kyoto Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
In this private tour, you can visit principal attractive sites in Nara using your time the most efficiently.
Of course, you can customize the tour as you’d like.
For example, if you omit ”Nara-machi, old merchant district ”, you can add Fuishimiinari shrine in Kyoto.
Visiting both Fushimiinari and Nara in one way would be very convenience and you will have enough time to enjoy both.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Todai-ji Temple Nandai Gate, 406-1 Zoshicho Todai-ji Temple, Nara 630-8211 Nara Prefecture
The Great South Gate; Nandaimon is the main gate of Tōdai-ji temple.The original gate was originally built in 8C but destroyed several times and the present structure is the one built in was completed in 1203. In the gate, you will see two statues of the guardian deities; Ni-ō guarding the gate.
The eighteen giant pillars that support the roof measure twenty-one meters and the entire structure rises 25.46 meters above the stone plinth on which it rests.
The Great South Gate is the largest temple entrance gate in Japan, suitable in scale to the Great Buddha Hall.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Todai-ji Temple, 406-1 Zoushi-cho, Nara 630-8587 Nara Prefecture
The Great Buddha Hall so called ”Daibutsuden” is the Main Hall of Tōdai-ji temple.
It’s one of the most famous and indispensable site in Nara.
The hall was originally built first in the Nara period(8C) but It has been destroyed twice by fire.The present structure was completed in the Edo period(18C).
Even though it became smaller than the original hall,nevertheless, the height and depth of the structure remain the same as those of the original.
and the Great Buddha Hall is still the largest wooden structure in the world.
I the hall, the famous Great Buddha is seated in the middle that has more than 14m high that must impress you a lot.
Here you see how was the Buddhism at that period and feel the ancient capital Nara.
Also you can enjoy the massive architecture with their details and the unique designes that you can not find any other places in Japan.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Nigatsu-do Temple, 406-1 Zoshicho Todaiji Temple, Nara 630-8587 Nara Prefecture
The name Nigatsu-dō, or Second Month Hall is derived from the fact that the Shuni-e Ceremony is held here during the second month of the lunar calendar. The structure is originally built in 8C. However, in 1667, a fire broke out inside the hall in the midst of the ceremony, and the original was destroyed. The present building is a reconstruction of 1669.
It a magnificent building consisting of the hall, where the secret statue of Kannon stands inside.
The front part of this architecture is constructed in the kake-zukuri, or platform style like the main of faous Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. and it is particularly well suited for the rituals held there.
Here you can enjoy the panoramic view of Nara city and feel the tradition and history of the ceremony that date back to 8th century.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Nara Park, 469 Zoshicho, Nara 630-8501 Nara Prefecture
On the way to Kofuku-ji temple, the next site in the itinerary, we will go through Nara Park where you will see many dears and dear cracker shops. You can enjoy feeding the deer that roam free in and around the park.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Kofuku-ji Temple, 48 Noboriojicho, Nara 630-8213 Nara Prefecture
Kōfuku-ji temple has its origin as a temple that was established in 669. It is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, ancient capital of Japan.
In its precinct, there are many facilities such as Chukon-do, East Golden Hall,North Octagonal Hall and Five-storied pagoda..etc.
Some of them are date back to 12C or 15C.
Among them the Five storied pagoda is an iconic architecture in Nara.
You can enjoy the impressive pagoda and temple compⅼex together with many dears.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Mochiidono Center Gai, 12 Mochiidonocho, Nara 630-8222 Nara Prefecture
We will have a lunch break in a local shopping arcade where many local also come to have lunch or shopping in their dairy life.
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Naramachi, Nara Nara Prefecture
Naramachi, literally “Nara Town” is the former merchant district.
There are several traditional residential buildings with lattice doors and many local shops are also preserved.
Some of the houses are very old, more than 100 years.
We can enjoy strolling narrow streets in the area where you can find many old established shops such as an 160 years old candy shop or 800 years old pharmacy.
You can feel old life in Nara there.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Naramachi Koshino Ie, 44 Gangojicho, Nara 630-8332 Nara Prefecture
We will visit one of these old merchant house in Naramachi district.
Here you can enjoy the unique architecture long, narrow “townhouses” that served both as shops and as the living quarters of the local merchants. The store fronts of machiya were often kept narrow in order to save on taxes, which used to be calculated on a property’s street access rather than its total area.
Duration: 20 minutes
