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View all Nara toursGreat Buddha, Kasuga Shrine and Sacred Deer Tour in Nara
3-hour tour in Nara, taking in Kasuga Taisha Honsha Honden, Nara Park and Todai-ji Daibutsuden. Run by GOKU TRIP, booked direct rather than through a reseller.
Highlights
- Kasuga Taisha Honsha Honden
- Nara Park
- Todai-ji Daibutsuden
- Runs 3 hours
- 3-hour guided walking tour
- Trained local guide in the language selected when booking
Great Buddha, Kasuga Shrine and Sacred Deer Tour in Nara: Key Facts
| Price | From $108 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
This is a 3-hour experience in Nara, built around Kasuga Taisha Honsha Honden, Nara Park and Todai-ji Daibutsuden. It is run by GOKU TRIP, an operator we book with directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can hold your place with them before we treat your booking as final.
Nara was Japan's first permanent capital, from 710 to 784, and its park holds Todai-ji, whose Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and contains a 15-metre bronze Buddha cast in 752, Kasuga Taisha with its three thousand lanterns, and about 1,200 sika deer that are considered messengers of the gods and are protected. The deer bow for the shika senbei crackers sold in the park and will butt anyone who teases them. Nara is 45 minutes from Kyoto or Osaka by train and is a half-day; Todai-ji before 10:00 is the quiet hour.
The price covers 3-hour guided walking tour, Trained local guide in the language selected when booking, Interactive Q&A about Nara, Japanese culture, Admission to Tōdai-ji Great Buddha Hall and Admission to the special worship area at Kasuga Taisha. It does not cover Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transportation to the meeting point, Meals and drinks and Personal purchases, so budget for those separately. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price.
GOKU TRIP sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with GOKU TRIP before treating your booking as final. If they cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
2 starting location options
氷室神社 両部鳥居, 氷室神社
Kasuga Taisha Honsha Honden
Visit, Guided tour (1 hour)
Nara Park
Guided tour, Walk (45 minutes)
Todai-ji Daibutsuden
Visit, Guided tour (1 hour)
2 drop-off locations
氷室神社 両部鳥居, 氷室神社
Detailed Itinerary
2 starting location options: 氷室神社 両部鳥居, 氷室神社
Kasuga Taisha Honsha Honden: Visit, Guided tour (1 hour)
Nara Park: Guided tour, Walk (45 minutes)
Todai-ji Daibutsuden: Visit, Guided tour (1 hour)
2 drop-off locations: 氷室神社 両部鳥居, 氷室神社
Includes
- 3-hour guided walking tour
- Trained local guide in the language selected when booking
- Interactive Q&A about Nara, Japanese culture, religion, and everyday life
- Admission to Tōdai-ji Great Buddha Hall
- Admission to the special worship area at Kasuga Taisha
- Deer crackers for the feeding experience
Excludes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to the meeting point
- Meals and drinks
- Personal purchases
Important information
Meeting point
GOKU TRIP sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Nene ottima guida con simpatia ci ha accompagnato per turro il percorso con descrizioni essenziali e abbastanza chiare. Sempre disponibile, non ci ha fatto mancare nulla.
Yuki , nos mostró todos los lugares de la zona con mucha buena información. incluso preguntas que no eran habituales busco las. respuestas para poder informar. muy agradable con nosotros.
Malgré une journée très pluvieuse, nous avons adoré notre visite à Nara. Yumiko est très gentille et ses explications très intéressantes. Super expérience !
My husband & I travelled to Nara from Osaka on the day of the tour. It takes over an hour to get to Nara from Osaka by train, but it is well worth the trip. We were running a bit late, as we missed our first train & on Sundays public transport is more irregular. However, our guide, Nene, was very kind & accommodating & waited for us. Nene took us through the 3 phenomenal World Heritage sites at a good pace, providing lots of interesting information & taking photos of us along the way. Nene was thoughtful in her advice around the deers & feeding them the crackers before we got to the park, wher
We had a few hours with guide Nene. She is very knowledgeable and kind person, very energetic. She show us most important historical places . We talk to her not only about best of Nara but about old and modern Japan including every day life in this country. We are strongly recommend Nene as a guide .
Goku was an excellent guide. His love for the region and it's history was clear in all his explanations. He was able to ensure we skipped the long queues at the Bhuddist temple. Afterwards he went above and beyond, by making sure that each group was able find its next destination. For our group he took us to a recommended Ramen house and helped us order our food, making sure it was meeting our dietary requirements. Thanks so much Goku, we hope to see you in NZ sometime soon.
Goku was the best guide we have met so far in Japan, super knowledgeable, interested in sharing Japanese culture with the world and learning about other cultures when asking questions. Real pleasure spending 3 hours together! Thank you!
Airi es una guía excelente, te explica todo el recorrido con gran detalle, tiene mucho interés en que conozcas lo mejor de Nara, la pasamos excepcional y conocimos mucho de la gran historia de los templos y santuarios de Nara, Excepcional persona para pasar un día lleno de magia en Nara!!
Une visite vraiment géniale ! On s’est régalé avec notre guide Yasue qui a été au top avec de belles explications et en soirée pour célébrer Obon avec l’allumage des lanternes, une pure merveille ! 🤩 Je recommande GOKU TOUR et sa guide Yasue 😊
Notre guide Yasue a été formidable, parle très bien français, elle s’est adaptée à notre besoin, et nos mille et une question d’histoire, sur les religions, les symboles… inlassable dans son partage généreux ! De plus elle est très sympathique, toute la famille a adoré et nous la recommandons !!! Enfin, nous avons réservé la veille, donc merci pour la réactivité. Nara n’aurait pas eu tant d’intérêt sans guide.
La visite avec Yumiko a été très agréable. Elle expmiqie très bien le site. Nous avons apprécié la visite. Très beau site.
La visite de Nara était incroyable ! Yumiko la guide était au top et nous a permis de visiter cette Nara et son histoire