Kyoto, Nara & Uji: Tradition Meets Modernity

Discover Kyoto, Nara, and Uji’s rich heritage and nature on a full-day tour. Meet bowing deer, explore temples, and savor matcha delights.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Nara Park - Nara Park is a must-visit destination in Nara City and is among Japan’s oldest parks. Spanning 660 hectares, it is famous for its free-roaming deer and renowned temples. These gentle deer, considered sacred messengers of the Shinto gods, roam freely in Nara. Over time, they have learned to bow to visitors as a gesture for a treat.
    For…
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned transportation
  • Guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch (time provided for independent dining)
  • Admission fees: Byōdo-in Temple
  • Admission fees: Todai-ji Temple
Additional Information

Embark on a timeless journey through Kyoto, Nara, and Uji, where tradition seamlessly merges with modernity.
In Nara Park, meet the charming free-roaming deer that bow gracefully in hopes of a treat and explore the impressive Todai-ji Temple.
Discover the stunning torii gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto and explore Uji, a city famous for its green…

Location
Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(46 Ratings)
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1 star
Vern_h
Jan 1, 2026
Good long distance tour to Nara and Uji - Candy did a good job handling a large tour group. Can’t very fluent in Chinese and English. Ask not to be in the very tight backseat. Bus windows need cleaning for better viewing. Important info for some that bus didn’t have a bathroom, so be prepared. Not a deal killer for us.
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Charissa_t
Dec 29, 2025
Best tour. Best Guide. A must! - Best experience! My whole family loved the tour especially our tour guide Cool Guide Steven. Our kids said best tour guide we’ve ever had. Definitely recommended.
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Jeanie_k
Dec 6, 2025
Fun day trip! - It was a fun and smooth day. The locations were well planned and nicely organized. The sights were enjoyable, and our guide John was very helpful. The day went by very quickly at a great pace!
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Cody_m
Nov 26, 2025
A great way to spend a day! - It is a great way to get a taste of things you might want to revisit or simply do not have the time available to invest in completely.
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Robert_f
Nov 25, 2025
Great tour that is self... - Great tour that is semi self guided to explore three different areas. Candy, the tour guide, was great giving information about the location on the way to each location. Was very well organized as well.
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Mio_f
Nov 14, 2025
This was a great day... - This was a great day tour! Saw so many places in one full day. It didnt feel rushed at all. Our guide, Eve was insightful with tips when visiting a specific spot. Comfortable bus ride and would recommend it.
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Jivan_g
Jan 1, 2026
Good tour - Generally well organised tour. Got to see a lot in a day. But pretty large group sizes and we had some relatively grumpy fellow passengers that made the trip less enjoyable. Also given the ambitious itinerary some places felt a bit rushed (particularly at Uji and the Fushimi shrine). But guide was really informative and friendly, and everything ran like clockwork.
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Maria_m
Dec 5, 2025
Limited English, limited information on sites provided - Arrived over an hour late (because the tour actually leaves from Osaka), tour guide didn’t speak English well, little information was provided on the sites, and he told us to stay at the main entrance of Nara meaning we missed Tōdai-ji. He also changed every other sentence from limited English to Mandarin.
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Martin_c
Nov 20, 2025
Not Supported by Our "Guide" - Things didn't start well and they went downhill from there. We followed the written directions of arriving 10 minutes early. In fact we arrived 40 minutes early. Unfortunately, our guide, Takizawa Shun "John" arrived 30 minutes late. Our anxiety level went up as we waited for his arrival. We contacted our guide via WhatsApp. He informed us he would be 10 minutes late. At the new expected arrival time, we checked back and was told he was still 15 minutes out. When he arrived, he told us to get on the bus without letting us know there were reserved seats. We got off the bus to confer with him and found out seats. Once everyone was on the bus, John lectured us about staying on time. Telling us multiple times someone had recently been left at a stop because they weren't on time. John was not much of a guide. Long before we arrived at a site, he'd lecture us about where we were going, what we should do and the order we should do things. As individuals unfamiliar with these locations, this was all out of context and made little sense. Once we arrived he walked quickly to the location without checking on how the group was following - or not following. He then reminded us of our meet up time and left. We had anticipated a guided tour of the locations. The 30 minute late start was cut from our first location, shortening or visit, making it rushed. While we saw everything we had expected, we were not supported by our "guide", John during these visits.
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Katherine_l
Dec 5, 2025
Unfortunately not worth what we paid - We had a poor experience on the tour. I'm requesting a refund for me and my group (the other reservations under Maria and Alex). The biggest issue was that the tour guide, Bryan, doesn't speak fluent English. It was difficult to understand him and he didn't make an effort to check that everyone understood his instructions, leading to our group and other groups on the tour having misunderstandings about where to go and when. When a tour is offered in English online, I expect the tour guide to be fluent. Another issue was that Bryan repeated everything in both English and Mandarin. He would say a sentence in English, then immediately switch to Mandarin and back. It was difficult to tell when he was switching languages and it became frustrating to try to follow along. I see online in one place it just says the tour is offered in English, and in another place it does say English and Mandarin. For the price we paid and given past tour experiences, I expected the tour to be just in one language for each tour bus. It requires so much time to repeat everything in another language. The microphone was also too loud. Essentially the tour was a bus service with dropoff at Nara Park and Uji. At the locations, we were on our own for 1-2 hours. Bryan spent a few minutes sharing basic facts about where we were going but again it was limited value in trying to follow along since he's English is limited. At the first stop, Nara park, our group and at least one other group heard Bryan say to stay close to the spot we were getting off at. Since the tour description online says that one of the stops is the Todaiji Temple in Nara Park we assumed that when we got on the bus later it would take us there. Our group and the other family missed the Todai-ji temple because of this but it would have been easy to avoid with better communication. The tour advertised that we would visit a very old bridge in Uji, but it turns out the tour doesn't actually stop there. The bus arrived 1 hour and 10 mins late from Osaka due to traffic. I know traffic is outside of the tour company's control, but I wish that I had realized that the tour doesn't just leave from Kyoto. I thought there would be separate tours leaving from Kyoto and Osaka. As an apology the tour gave us each a puffed corn stick. Which was funny because those only cost like 10 yen.
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From $67
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).