Kyoto & Nara day tour from Osaka: Fushimi Inari & Arashiyama

Nine hours across four centuries: sacred deer, vermilion gates, and a bamboo forest that feels like another world

This nine-hour guided day tour departs from Osaka or Kyoto and visits Nara Park, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and Arashiyama, with a live guide speaking English or Chinese and an air-conditioned vehicle included. You choose your departure city and where you want to end the day: the same city or the other one. Lunch is not included, and entry to Tenryu-ji Temple costs 500 yen extra.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Nara Park1h
2. Tenryu-ji Temple20m
3. Togetsukyo Bridge20m

Explore Kyoto and Nara highlights

• Visit Nara Park and see deer
• Walk through Fushimi Inari Shrine torii gates
• Stroll the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Visit Nonomiya Shrine
• See Kimono Forest installation
• Tour Tenryu-ji Temple and garden
• Relax at Arashiyama Rilakkuma Tea House
• View Togetsukyo Bridge

The experience

The day starts with a pickup from your hotel or a central meeting point in Osaka or Kyoto, depending on which option you booked. An air-conditioned vehicle carries your group to Nara Park, a 660-hectare expanse where over 1,300 years of coexistence between humans and deer has created something you won't see elsewhere: the animals bow to visitors in hopes of a snack, a gesture they've learned over centuries. The park also holds world-famous temples, and the deer themselves are protected as Natural Monuments and revered as sacred messengers of the Shinto gods.

From Nara, the route moves to Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine among roughly 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan. The draw here is Senbon Torii: thousands of vermilion red torii gates stacked so densely they form a tunnel-like pathway up the sacred Mount Inari. The shrine has stood since 711 AD, drawing people to pray for harvests, business success, family safety and personal wishes. Walking through the gates is the experience. The sheer number and the way they recede into the mountain create an immersive passage that photographs rarely capture.

The afternoon centers on Arashiyama, a district on Kyoto's west side that holds several stops in one area. The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is the symbol most visitors picture when they think of Kyoto: towering stalks in serene groves where a breeze makes the whole forest sway. Nearby, Nonomiya Shrine stands out for its black torii gate instead of the typical vermilion. It's a small shrine with deep roots, founded as a purification site for imperial princesses. Tenryu-ji Temple, ranked among Kyoto's five great Zen temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features the Sogenchi Garden, designed by the Zen master Muso Soseki and centered on a pond surrounded by rocks, pines and the forested mountains beyond. The Togetsukyo Bridge, originally built in the Heian Period and reconstructed in the 1930s, spans the Katsura River and frames views of the surrounding landscape. The Kimono Forest is a textile installation of 600 clear acrylic cylinders, each two meters tall and dressed in vibrant kimono fabrics showing 32 traditional Kyo-yuzen designs. The Rilakkuma Tea House on the second floor offers lunch, drinks and snacks if you want to eat during the tour, though the operator does not include a meal in the package.

Your guide speaks English or Chinese throughout the day and handles the route and timing. The vehicle returns you to your starting point: either the city you departed from or the other one, depending on which option you selected at checkout. The whole day runs nine hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle throughout the day.
• live guide in English or Chinese.
• hotel or central pickup and return drop-off in your chosen city.

Options for this experience

4 options

Pickup in Osaka, drop-off in OsakaGuide in English or Chinese · 08:00Departs from Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station in Osaka and returns to Osaka by bus after the Kyoto and Nara sightseeing.

Pickup in Osaka, drop-off in KyotoGuide in English or Chinese · 08:00Departs from Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station in Osaka and ends the bus trip in Kyoto after the sightseeing.

Pickup in Kyoto, drop-off in KyotoGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00Departs from Kyoto Station Hachijo Entrance Square and returns to Kyoto by bus after the sightseeing.

Pickup in Kyoto, drop-off in OsakaGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00Departs from Kyoto Station Hachijo Entrance Square and ends the bus trip in Osaka after the sightseeing.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00 and 09:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (3 to 75 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 45

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by F Trip

Is this one for you?Choose the Osaka departure if you're staying in the Kansai region and want to avoid an early train to Kyoto. Choose the one-way option (Osaka to Kyoto or vice versa) if your itinerary takes you between the two cities anyway and you'd rather not backtrack. The nine-hour span and fixed route mean you see four major sites without building the day yourself, though you'll need to budget for lunch and the Tenryu-ji Temple entry separately.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 3).

Can I choose to start in Osaka and end in Kyoto, or do I have to return to where I started?

You choose at checkout. The four options let you depart from Kyoto or Osaka and return to the same city, or depart from one and end in the other, so yes, a one-way route is available if that suits your itinerary better.

What are the free-roaming deer in Nara Park actually like, and will they interact with me?

Nara Park's deer are tame and have learned to bow to visitors as a gesture requesting food or treats. They've coexisted peacefully with humans for over 1,300 years and are now protected as Natural Monuments and revered as sacred messengers in Shinto tradition, so they're accustomed to people and will approach you.

Is lunch included in this tour?

Lunch is not included in the tour price. The Rilakkuma Tea House in Arashiyama serves lunch, drinks and snacks on its second floor if you want to eat during the day, but you'll need to purchase food separately.

How much time do I spend actually walking versus sitting in the vehicle?

The nine-hour total includes both driving and walking time at each stop. The itinerary covers multiple sites (Nara Park, Fushimi Inari, the Bamboo Forest, three shrines and temples, and several other landmarks in Arashiyama), so you'll move between locations by vehicle and then walk through each attraction.

Does the tour include entry to Tenryu-ji Temple?

Tenryu-ji Temple entry is not included. It costs 500 yen extra if you want to visit the temple and see the Sogenchi Garden. Your guide will take you to the temple, but you'll pay the admission separately at the gate.