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Private Walking Tour

Fushimi Inari & Nara Day Tour

Torii gates, giant Buddha and friendly deer in one day.
A private day trip from Kyoto to Fushimi Inari Shrine and Japan's ancient capital, Nara.

Kyoto and Nara in one day • Todaiji's Great Buddha • Nara Park deer • Private guide

At a glance

Duration

8 hours

Group size

1–6 people (private group)

Pickup

Free pickup from your Kyoto hotel

Price per tour

JP¥ 53,500

A day trip to the heart of Japanese faith and history

This private day tour combines two of Japan's most spectacular destinations. We start at Fushimi Inari Shrine in southern Kyoto, where thousands of vermilion torii gates lead visitors up the slopes of sacred Mount Inari.

Then we travel to Nara, Japan's capital in the 8th century and a great centre of early Japanese Buddhist culture — its treasures are still breathtaking today. Stand before the 15-metre bronze Great Buddha inside Todaiji, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, meet the famously polite deer of Nara Park, and walk the lantern-lined paths of Kasuga Taisha.

Tour highlights

  • Walk through the iconic torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari
  • See the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) of Todaiji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Feed the free-roaming deer of Nara Park
  • Discover Kasuga Taisha's thousands of stone and bronze lanterns
  • Admire the five-storey pagoda of Kofukuji

Places you will visit

  • Fushimi Inari Shrine — thousands of vermilion torii gates
  • Todaiji — home of the Great Buddha, one of the largest wooden structures in the world
  • Nara Park — a picturesque park where over a thousand deer roam freely
  • Mount Wakakusa — a grassy hill famous for cherry blossoms and its January fire festival
  • Kasuga Taisha — Nara's most important Shinto shrine
  • Kofukuji — a historic temple with a striking five-storey pagoda
Fushimi-inari shrine

Fushimi-inari shrine

Founded in 711 and dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice and, by extension, of prosperity in business. Around ten thousand gates, or torii, stand on the mountain, the oldest of them dating from the Edo period. The stone foxes along the way are Inari's messengers. It is Kyoto's most visited site, and the only one of its scale open day and night.

Morning visit before heading to Nara

Good to know before you go

Everything you need to plan your day — meeting point, timing, what is included and what to budget for. Still have a question? Send it with your booking request and your guide will reply personally.

Departure point

Your guide meets you in the lobby of your Kyoto hotel or accommodation (please give us the address when booking). Arriving from Osaka or Tokyo on the day? We can meet you at Kyoto Station instead.

Departure time

9:00 AM. If you would like a different start time, just let us know!

Duration

About 8 hours. The train between Kyoto and Nara takes around 1 hour, so this tour is only available as a full day. For a half-day tour, see Ancient Kyoto or Classic Kyoto.

Transportation

Walking plus public transport (trains and buses), with the occasional taxi to save time. Transport fares are not included in the tour price — you can pre-pay them with the add-on in the booking form.

Meals

Your guide will recommend great local restaurants for lunch and spots for snacks along the way (food and drinks are not included). On full-day tours your guide joins you for lunch, and we kindly ask you to cover the guide's meal.

Return

Returns to your original Kyoto starting point at around 5:00 PM.

Family friendly

Yes — children of all ages are welcome. Your guide will adapt the pace, plan rest and restroom stops, and keep the stories fun for younger travellers.

Other expenses

Temple, shrine and garden admission fees are not included (they are usually modest — from a few hundred yen to around ¥1,500 per person per site). Deer crackers (shika senbei) in Nara Park cost a few hundred yen.
The price is per private group, not per person — the same rate applies from 1 up to 6 travellers. No payment is needed to send a booking request; we confirm availability first and you can fine-tune the itinerary later. All prices are in Japanese yen.

Itinerary

Fushimi Inari in the morning, Nara in the afternoon — here is how the day flows.

9:00 AMHotel pickup in Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Meet your guide in Kyoto and begin at Fushimi Inari Shrine, walking through thousands of vermilion torii gates up the slopes of sacred Mount Inari.

Fushimi Inari Shrine
Late morningAbout 1 hour

Train to Nara

Ride the train to Nara, Japan’s capital in the 8th century, as your guide introduces the history you are about to see.

LunchGuide recommendation

Lunch in Nara

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Nara recommended by your guide (food is not included; we kindly ask you to cover your guide’s lunch).

AfternoonUNESCO World Heritage Site

Todaiji & the Great Buddha

Stand before the 15-metre bronze Great Buddha inside Todaiji’s Daibutsuden, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.

Todaiji & the Great Buddha
Afternoon

Nara Park & its friendly deer

Meet the free-roaming deer of Nara Park — more than a thousand of them, many of which bow for deer crackers — with views of Mount Wakakusa beyond.

Nara Park & its friendly deer
AfternoonUNESCO World Heritage Site

Kasuga Taisha

Follow lantern-lined forest paths to Kasuga Taisha, Nara’s most important Shinto shrine, famous for its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns.

Kasuga Taisha
Late afternoonUNESCO World Heritage Site

Kofukuji Temple

Admire the five-storey pagoda of Kofukuji, once the family temple of the powerful Fujiwara clan and one of the symbols of Nara.

Kofukuji Temple
5:00 PM

Return to Kyoto

Take the train back to Kyoto with your guide, arriving at your original starting point at around 5:00 PM.

Photo gallery

Fushimi Inari's torii gates and the temples and deer of Nara.

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know before booking your private Fushimi Inari and Nara day tour.

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