- Yakushi-ji Temple is located about five kilometer south west of JR Nara station.
- Two major UNESCO World Heritage temples(Yakushi-ji & Toushodai-ji) are located here.
- After meeting at Nishinokyo station, we walk through Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji Temple.
- As an optional tour, we can visit Mausoleum of Emperor Suinin, next to Toushoudai-ji Temple.
At Nishinokyo station of Kintetsu Line
At Amagatsuji station of Kintetsu Line
-Yakushi-ji Temple has old history back to Fujiwara-kyo period.(a former capital of Japan.
-Temple was built in 680, but has been moved to the current location at Nara period.
-All buildings, with the exception of the East Pagoda, were destroyed by fire and natural disasters several times durin 16th century.
-Since 1967, major restoration project has been carried out, and new Kondo(Main Hall), Saitou(West Pagoda), Koudo(Lecture Hall)
have been newly built. We can feel that the original temple at Nara period based on these restored buildings. It's so colorful.
-We can see new wall paintings indicating "Silk Road" and learn how the culture has been transferred to Japan including Buddhism.
-Toshodai-ji Temple was built by famous Chinese priest Ganjin, Jian Zhen in 759.
-In the early 8th century, there were no formally trained Buddhist priest in Japan.
-Ganjin was invited by Japanese emperor as a Buddhist teaching master to come to Japan and provide Buddhist doctorines.
-He took 12 years to come to Japan after five time attempts to cross the ocean, and eye disease blinded Ganjin during these attempts.
-Buddhism statues at Toshodai-ji were crafted under the direction of Ganjin, and therefore these have a distinct Tang Chinese style.
-Essentially we can compare the new temple(Yakushi-ji) and old temple(Toshodai-ji) at the same tour.
In case when we visit Mausoleum of Emperor Suinin;
-Mausoleum of Emperor Suinin has beatiful Keyhole-shaped tumulus surrounded by water trnch.
-This tumulus has a length of 277 meters and was built in late 4th century.
-This tumulus was built much earlier than Nara period, but it is well maintained, and we can understan the typical old tumulus.
guide fee
lunch, entrance fee(1100 yen for Yakusi-ji, 600 yen for Toshidai-ji)
No special conditions
-This is walking tour for 5 hours and need to prepare for the walking such as walking shoes, hat. etc.
-Visiting Mausleum of Emperor can be added if the customer is interested in. This can be discussed and adjust the schedule.
If we can meet at railway station of Nishinokyo(Kintetsu line), there is no fee required as this is walking tour.
If you come from Nara Kintetsu station, it will cost 260 yen per person from Kintetsu Nara station to Nishinokyo station.
We booked Makoto for a short tour of Osaka. 7 hour duration has been shortened to 5 hours due to our cruise departure at 3PM. Makoto did his best to accommodate as much as can be possible in a limited timeframe. We visited Osaka Castle and Dotonbori district where we sampled some local food (takoyaki). A visit to Umeda Sky building has been dropped. All in all it was a very good introduction to Osaka and what it could offer. Enough to make us want to visit it again in the future. I would recommend Makoto to anyone needing a quick tour of the city.
Dear Sonia, Thanks for your nice comments on my tour. I also enjoyed guiding you of Osaka. Unfortunately it was not enough time to show Osaka due to the cruise departure, and hopefully I can show you more about Osaka next time. Thanks again for your choosing me of your guide. Makoto
My wife and I had a very pleasant day with Makoto sigthseeing Kyoto and its main sights. Tak! :-)
Dear Andre, Thank you for your nice comments on Kyoto tour. I have also enjoyed guiding you very much although it was so hot day. Please come back to Japan. Jeg er glad for det. Tak for alt !! Makoto
Makoto è stata una guida tranquilla e premurosa, al nostro arrivo ci ha fornito ad ognuno di noi le copie del percorso, spiegandocelo minuziosamente. Inoltre ci ha fornito di un utilissimo ventaglio per sopportare meglio il caldo. E’ stata una giornata davvero piacevole.
Era una giornata calda, ma mi sono anche divertito molto. Per favore, torna in Giappone quando i fiori di ciliegio sono in fiore. Grazie per avermi scelto come guida. Makoto
We had a private guided tour in Osaka with Makoto an exceptionally knowledgeable and available guide. From our first meeting, he made us feel comfortable and provided us with detailed documents for our visit. Makoto was clearly well-prepared for the tour, knowing the history and anecdotes of the sites we visited perfectly. Furthermore, he was able to adjust to our preferences by taking us to see the places that interested us the most. Additionally, he gave us a subway map and explained how to use it, which was incredibly helpful for the rest of our stay in Osaka. Thanks to his guidance, navigating the city became much easier and more enjoyable. Thanks to Makoto, we were able to discover aspects of the city that I would never have been able to discover on our own. His passion for Osaka was palpable and contagious, and I truly enjoyed every moment spent in his company. We highly recommend Makoto guided tour to anyone looking to explore Osaka in an authentic and enriching way. A big thank you to the Makoto for this memorable experience!
Dear Michel, Thank you so much for your nice comments. This was so nice comments as you are my 100th customers provided the comments for my tour. I also enjoyed the guide as you always showed good interests in Japanese history and cultures. Thanks again for your choosing me of your guide. Makoto