Published on May, 2025
This is a must to do if you don’t want the hassle of planning a day trip. The tour was on a very strict schedule. So keep that in mind. It was very fast paced! No time to shop or sight see on your own. First stop, Nara Deer Park. Cute deer and then you can head towards the shrine to see the Buddha statue. You need to purchase ticket for that. ¥800. Not overly crowded here. Second stop, (if purchased, highly recommend, shabu shabu lunch). DELICIOUS!!! Next stop, Bamboo Forest. OMG!!! Crowded streets, pathway and everywhere else. Couldn’t walk without bumping into everyone there. Nothing really special here. Could have skipped this and maybe offered to see something better. Next stop, the golden temple. We only had 40 minutes there. So quickly take your picture of the Kinaku temple. One way traffic. This is where you can get the matcha soft serve ice cream before getting back on bus. We had 20 minutes to spare so we were able to enjoy our ice cream. Last stop, Fushimi Inari-taisha. Wow! Beautiful!!! Again, overcrowded and lots to see with limited time. The trip has lots of walking so be prepared. Overall, great experience. Just prepare yourself for the crowds. We were there on May 4, 2025, and Veggie Lin was our tour guide and she was great!