Hidden Gems of Osaka Kyoto Nara - Private Car Tour by Local Guide
Description
The most off-the-beaten and atmospheric temples of the Kyoto/Osaka area are here!! This private guided car tour takes you to magical temples and super-unique shrines in a comfortable car A great temple with thousands of Japanese traditional dolls sitting literally everywhere, a shrine worshiping an enormous 1000-year-old camphor tree in an industrial area, and nostalgic paths of temples lit by countless lanterns at night The local expert drives you to the spiritual world with his wide and deep knowledge of Buddhism and Japanese culture Book this tour and you are promised to have an unforgettable day in Japan!
Tour Options
Itinerary
This temple located in the mountain area between Osaka and Kyoto is often picked up on the instagram with its unrivaled scenaries made by thousands of Japanese Daruma dolls placed everywhere in the temple!
Experience the spirit of Shintoism which worships nature itself and contributed to Japan maintaining beautiful Japanese nature primitive since the ancient ages. Mitsushima Shrine is a very small local shrine located in a suburb city of urban Osaka, called Kadoma City. Although it's not even well-known by the local Osaka people out of small Kadoma City, you'll be amazed by the enormous lord of this shrine, one of the biggest camphor trees in Japan, worshipped for more than a thousand years. Its thickness is around 13 meters with a height of 25 meters. It's selected as a National Natural monument of Japan.
About halfway up the slopes of Mount Ikoma in Nara prefecture lies the beautiful temple complex of Hozan-ji, shrouded in incense smoke and intrigue. Dedicated to Kangiten, a Buddhist god of joy and prosperity, it’s particularly popular with those praying for success and luck in business. Despite the ease of access from Osaka and Nara cities, Hozanji Temple remains firmly off the tourist track. This means it retains an air of tranquility even during the holiday season, giving visitors the time and space to fully explore all the small nooks and interesting features of the complex.
Our finale of the tour is an area of Mt.Shigi's mount top. These isolated temples and shrines become absolutely dreamy and nostalgic at night time. The complex ways are nostalgically lit by stony lanterns of shrines. Don't miss the beautiful garden fully colored in autumn. You can even climb up to the sacred mount-top in 15-20 min by walking through the countless gates of shrines in the dark, like the old monks or ninjas in training.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
1. If WhatsApp or iMessage available, the driver usually sends GPS location before meeting up 2. Wait the car outside at 1 o'clock, look for your car (Nissan Serena - white van [わ51-15] or Mini Highgate - dark brown convertible [め 4 20]) *If there are no space for the car to park near the entrance or the meeting spot, it might be parking nearby. Please have a look around. 3. Knock your car and tell your name and the tour to the guide *The driver doesn't come into your hotel lobby to call you, so you must look for the car by the license no. *Delays more than 5 minutes will be notified through email or iMessage/WhatsApp (if provided) *The car never misses your group because it's private, but as you delay more, you will have less time to complete the tour. If no appearance more than 30 minutes without notification, the tour will be canceled (no refund) *drinking and eating in car is allowed, except for eating noodles with soup *If you have desired options, schedule or sites you really wish to see, tell the guide at first (best effort)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- There are walks and some stairs to some temples
- Some of the itinerary may change by the season or other circumstances
Reviews(14)
Our tour guide was very friendly, entertaining and informative. We had a great afternoon of sightseeing in a relaxing environment. It was great to get out of the city and see other points of interest including the bamboo forest, nature walks to hidden shrines and the lantern temple. We ended the evening at a shrine with uninterrupted views of Osaka - amazing! An added bonus was the hotel pick-up and drop-off for the tour making things very easy for our group.
This was an amazing tour that went to some incredible places. Daiki-さん has truly discovered some really cool treasures. The first site was popular with tourists and locals but still really great! And so out of the way we would never have made it there on our own. The other places were truly hidden treasures! We were the only people at these other places - great god trees, temples and shrines, glowing lanterns, ancient bells and clear water pools for purification. And Daiki- さん is also a treasure! Do knowledgeable and willing to share what he knows, so considerate and kind, so flexible. He was an amazing guide and host, and enjoyed each trip as much as we did! We will definitely take other tours with him when we are back in Osaka.
This was a great experience. The temples were beautiful and the night tours were fantastic. Thanks Daiki for all the great detail and information sessions.
Best tour guide I have ever had. He had tons of historical information but also answers all my questions about the Japanese culture in general. I liked that he was quick and effective in every spot because we got to see a lot in a limited amount of time. Both of the tours we did with him were special and insightful. We are a family of four we fit comfortably in his van and our luggage fit seamlessly. I highly recommend this tour provider.
Daiki was an amazing tour guide. He shared a lot of knowledge about Japanese history and culture. Things you can't find in books. We went to the best places in Kyoto, and I was thankful he was an excellent driver. The streets are very narrow and the traffic was overwhelming. He even found some cherry and plum trees blooming early so we felt like we got the full experience!
Highly recommend! This was our favourite tour over our 2 week trip to Japan. Daiki was our guide and it was seamless from the moment I booked. Communication was easy via phone and Daiki catered to our needs for the entire trip, stopping to get treats and food along the way. The kids loved having Daiki as our tour guide and private van. Daiki was very knowledgeable and friendly. The places we visited were amazing and something we wouldn’t have done easily on our own especially visiting the temples/ shrines around dusk. It was incredibly beautiful. I would recommend this tour to any and all travelers.
Daiki is a very great guide. He is really funny and take you cool places. A different way of traveling tk Osaka and its surrounding.
We have never been to Japan before so booked this tour to getbaround t9 some of the hidden gems as the tour suggests. We were not disappointed this was a highlight of our trip . We were able to leisurely get to places that were literally hidden gems and that were not over crowded and we were able to get some beautiful photos. Our guide was Daiki he was so knowledgeable and we had some good conversations around Japan or country and the old and new. I would recommend this tour if you really do want to get the unique and hidden gem Japan . Thankyou Daiki we had a great time . If you are ever in Southwet England then please do give us a shout and ee can take you around for the day
This tour was absolutely fabulous! Breathtaking views, beautiful temples and shrines that sometimes, in the evening, you get to explore almost on your own, without the masses of other tourists. Daiki is a brilliant tour guide: very kind and generous, funny and knowledgeable, he did a wonderful job explaining the background of the spots we visited and so much more. I loved his passion for the places we visited, his patience and easygoing attitude. Thank you!
Great experience my husband and son loved the tour. The host was great, and conveniently dropped them at train station after tour for the bullet train back to Toyko. Awesome time had in Osaka & Kyoto.
