About This Day Trip
Nara, Japan’s first permanent capital (710–794 AD), is just 45 minutes south of Kyoto and makes for a perfect half-day excursion. This private car tour picks you up from your Kyoto hotel and drives you through the scenic southern Kyoto countryside to Nara, where over 1,000 wild deer roam freely in the parkland surrounding the city’s ancient temples.
The highlight of any Nara visit is Todai-ji Temple, home to the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) — a 15-metre-tall bronze statue housed in the world’s largest wooden building. From there your driver can take you to Kasuga Grand Shrine with its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns, the serene Isuien Garden, and Naramachi, the old merchant district with its charming townhouses and craft shops. Deer crackers (shika senbei) are sold throughout the park if you’d like to feed the famously friendly Nara deer.
A private car gives you the flexibility to explore at your own pace rather than following a train schedule. Your driver will wait at each stop and suggest the best timing to avoid crowds. The half-day format (roughly five hours door to door) leaves your afternoon free for exploring Kyoto’s own temples, shopping, or resting before dinner.