First we will visit Nara Park, where historic monuments and nature create calm and peaceful atmosphere. You'll see wild deer roaming hear and there. Walking in Nara-machi district will give us a chance to see an old merchants' houses.Then I will take you to an traditional indigo-dyeing studio and help you to experience it.
at JR or KINTETSU NARA STATION
Nara was an ancient capital of Japan(710~794), and the terminal destination of Silk Road, a trading road connecting the West and the East. Influenced by international culture, a great number of treasures, including historical structures, Buddhist statues and artifacts, miraculously remain here.
Especially, the quality of Buddhist statues is marvelous! For example, Nio-zo, A pair of statues of Guardian Deities in Todaiji temple has a lot in common with Statue of David by Michelangelo. I will guide you to see such world-class masterpieces.
Ai-zome, or indigo dyeing used to be very familiar with ordinary Japanese people, especially in Edo Period(16C to 19C). The beauty of the color is highly valued as "Japan Blue". Now it is well-known as the logo of "Tokyo Olympics in 2020". You will try dyeing with the handkerchief and the bandanna,etc.. "Konya", the studio, is located in Yamatokoriyama city, a castle town, and you will also touch the atmosphere of the old merchant area.
at JR or KINTETSU NARA STATION
guide fee (25,900JPY),
transportation fee from home to Nara (2,000JPY)
transportation fee during the tour (you and guide)---about 1000JPY, lunch(you and guide) ---1000~2000JPY, entrance fee(you)---①Todaiji-temple 600 JPY, ②Kofuku-ji national treasure hall(option) 700JPY, ③Indigo-dyeing studio 300JPY, ④the fee for indigo dyeing experience 1200 JPY to 1900JPY
The price of the tour includes the guide fee and the guide's transportation fee between home and the travel city.
Only available on Saturday and Sunday
This is basically a walking tour. So I recommend wearing shoes that are easy to walk in. If you have difficulty in walking, please let me know.
You are supposed to pay in cash for entrance fees at temples.I would like you to prepare some cash.
As for the indigo-dyeing experience,
① The tour is carried out after booking. To ensure the booking, I'd like you to contact me early, at least 1 week before the tour.
② I recommend wearing clothes you can get dirty in dyeing, although apron, rubber gloves and long boots are prepared.
We enjoyed two fantastic tours with Michiko! She introduced us to both Kyoto and Nara. Her expertise, planning, kindness and English were much appreciated. In Kyoto, we explored the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Monkey Park, the Bamboo Forrest and had an excellent meal. In Nara, we visited a magnificent shrine, fed deer, played in a toy museum, and had extraordinary deserts. All members of our family had a great time. Thank you, Michiko!
Thank you for the wonderful review! I also had a great time with you and your family in Nara and Kyoto. In all the places we visited, you and your family were immersed in the atmosphere, to feel it to the fullest, which impressed me a lot. We have many more places to visit, so I hope you and your family will come back to Japan near future!
We had the pleasure of having Michiko as our tour guide in Nara, and she exceeded all our expectations. Her English is excellent, making communication smooth and easy. She was fantastic with our two kids, engaging them with a fun scavenger hunt game where they used stickers to mark the places we visited. This thoughtful touch kept them entertained and made the tour even more enjoyable. Michiko is one of the best tour guides we've encountered in all our years of traveling to different countries. She was proactive in communicating with me before the tour, discussing the itinerary in detail and offering helpful suggestions for transportation options. Her knowledge, kindness, and attention to detail made our experience unforgettable. We highly recommend Michiko to anyone visiting the Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka areas. She truly made our trip special!
Thank you for the wonderful review. I also had a great time guiding such a loving family like you! I was impressed that you always kindly talked to your children and helped them understand the value of what they had seen. This tour became one of my unforgettable experiences! I hope you will come back here and see you again!
Michiko was very friendly and knowledgeable about the transportation system in Nara allowing us to see so much even though we only had a half day tour with her. She took to us to Nara deer park where we got to see the deer nursery and pet many deers. She also showed us Kasuga Taisha shrine with 2000 lanterns, Todaiji temple where we saw the big bronze Buddha statue, and Mochi making demonstration at a local shop. She was very flexible with what we wanted to do. She altered the tour to accomodate our kids who wanted to spend more time feeding and petting the deers at Nara park. She is very enjoyable to talk to and we highly recommend Michiko to anyone who needs a tour guide in Nara. Thank you Michiko for such a memorable day in Nara.
Thank you so much for the kind review! I also enjoyed a relaxing time with such a lovely family as yours. It was a great pleasure to see the children getting on so well with each other, feeding and petting the deer to their hearts' content. I was so happy to share the moment when a fawn just started to walk! I'm also impressed that you appreciated Japanese culture, history and nature. I hope you will return to Nara in the future!
Our guide Michiko took us to Osaka castle and Dotonbori. She handled all the details including obtaining the entrance tickets and taxis. She was extremely professional and above all a nice and knowledgeable person. We would recommend her without any reservations.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderful review. I'm honored to have guests as friendly and intelligent as you in Osaka. Everyone was close to each other and the tour was full of laughter. I hope to make a trip like this with close friends and family someday. I'm happy if this tour will leave a deep impression on Osaka. Bon voyage!