Explore spiritual power spots

Discover Nara's hidden shrines and temples amid lush nature and ancient legends.

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Listing highlights

What you’ll do

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews

Aislene

Nova Scotia, Canada

, June 2023

If you want to truly explore off the beaten track, this is the experience for you. It was awe inspiring to learn so much about the history of Japan from before Nara was the capital. Akiko was an excellent host and very knowledgeable. We also went on a great day when there was a lot of Japanese people at the first shrine getting Cedar branches. The second temple was also an incredible location where the Eleven-faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva statue is was amazing. It really enjoyed this day on my month long trip to Japan. For anyone who is unsure… do it, it was worth every penny with the amount of hard work that Akiko does in telling the history.

Dillon

Long Beach, CA

, March 2023

I had a superb and highly memorable experience with Akiko! Her English is perfect, and she is highly knowledgeable about Japanese temples/shrines. She really went above and beyond in personalizing the tour and making sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed to fully enjoy the tour at a relaxed pace. She also helped me with questions and concerns I had about my trip that were beyond the scope of the tour, and the place she recommended for lunch was outstanding! I highly recommend going on a tour with Akiko!

寿之

Yamanashi, Japan

, January 2023

We visited an old shrine and temple (2 places in total) in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture.[1] Daijin Shrine (Omiwajinja) and [2] Hasedera.They are the oldest shrines and temples in Japan, dating back to the time of Emperor Sujin (10th emperor) in the Kofun period and the Asuka period, respectively.You can see some ancient tombs in the area (if you look at a small hill with a forest, almost all of them are ancient tombs). I visited on January 4, 2023, and it was the beginning of the year, so the number of people was different from usual.That day, Omiwa Shrine was crowded and Hasedera was almost unattended, but it seems that it is usually the other way around. Now, both Ogami Shrine and Hasedera Temple are large, and you will be walking around on roads with a lot of ups and downs.From 9 am to 5 pm, it is 30 minutes one way from Nara, and 2 stops away from Oshino Shrine and Hasedera Temple with one transfer.The trains are not frequent, so I will adjust to lunchtime. For lunch, I had ramen noodles.It seems that the somen noodles at Daijou Shrine were the first somen noodles in Japan.Daijou-jinja Shrine is said to be the oldest shrine in Japan because it is written in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, but there are several other things related to Daijou-jinja Shrine that are older.Daijou Shrine has customs that you don't see in other shrines, such as providing raw eggs and sake, and chanting your wishes as you work towards your goals. At Hasedera, I climbed a long staircase.The stairs are a flower garden.It was the middle of winter, so there were mostly just the brown, thin branches of flowering plants, but there were also some pretty pink peonies blooming in places.Up three straight flights of stairs, there was the main hall, and monks were lined up in rows reading sutras in front of a large wooden golden Buddha.The view from there was beautiful, surrounded by mountains, with a view of the five-story pagoda and many other tiled temple buildings. The start and end point of this experience tour was JR Nara Station.Considering the possibility of using Kintetsu Nara Station (there are many shops around and it is easy to access Kyoto) after this experience tour, it might have been better to use the coin lockers outside the station rather than inside the station.I didn't know much about Nara prefecture except for Nara city, so visiting Sakurai city on this experience tour and hearing various stories was a very good experience.It was refreshing to learn about the history that goes back to before the Nara period.

Amberlin

Saskatoon, Canada

, October 2020

Akiko is very thoughtful and well prepared. Her binder is full of all kinds of information relates to the places she took us, which helped us with understanding more of Japanese history and tradition. Her tour took us to the places that are beautiful and spiritual, and we probably won't know or be able to go without her. Akiko is very friendly and sweet. She even spent extra time to take us to the place( Nara park) we wanted to go after the tour ended. definitely will recommend her tour to our family and friends. It was a wonderful experience of traveling with Akiko.

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

JR Nara station

630-8122, Nara, Japan

About me

I grew up in the Yamato region, the birthplace of Japan and its spirituality. I have been sharing the spiritual heritage of Japan with many visitors since 2009. I love history and enjoy taking people to off-the-beaten-path sites.

To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Guest requirements

Guests ages 8 and up can attend, up to 4 guests total.

Activity level

The activity level for this experience is moderate and the skill level is beginner.

What to bring

Lunch fee,

Accessibility

Message your host for details. Learn more

Cancellation policy

Cancel at least 1 day before the start time for a full refund.

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

Cultural tours are led by authors, historians, and other hosts who showcase what makes the city unique.

See an issue?

No availability

What you’ll do

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews

Aislene

Nova Scotia, Canada

, June 2023

Dillon

Long Beach, CA

, March 2023

寿之

Yamanashi, Japan

, January 2023

Amberlin

Saskatoon, Canada

, October 2020

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

JR Nara station

630-8122, Nara, Japan

About me

To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Explore spiritual power spots

Discover Nara's hidden shrines and temples amid lush nature and ancient legends.

Automatically translated

Listing highlights

No availability

Things to know

Guest requirements

Guests ages 8 and up can attend, up to 4 guests total.

Activity level

The activity level for this experience is moderate and the skill level is beginner.

What to bring

Lunch fee,

Accessibility

Message your host for details. Learn more

Cancellation policy

Cancel at least 1 day before the start time for a full refund.

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

Cultural tours are led by authors, historians, and other hosts who showcase what makes the city unique.

See an issue?

Explore spiritual power spots

Listing highlights

What you’ll do

Visit Ohmiwa Shrine

Try holy water

Visit Hase Temple

Gain sacred wisdom

Take away memories

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

About me

Things to know

Guest requirements

Activity level

What to bring

Accessibility

Cancellation policy

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

What you’ll do

Visit Ohmiwa Shrine

Try holy water

Visit Hase Temple

Gain sacred wisdom

Take away memories

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

About me

Explore spiritual power spots

Listing highlights

Things to know

Guest requirements

Activity level

What to bring

Accessibility

Cancellation policy

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

Explore spiritual power spots

Listing highlights

Hosted by AkikoCultural guide

JR Nara stationNara, Japan

What you’ll do

Visit Ohmiwa Shrine

Try holy water

Visit Hase Temple

Gain sacred wisdom

Take away memories

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews5.0, · 52 reviews

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

More experiences in Nara

About me

Things to know

Guest requirements

Activity level

What to bring

Accessibility

Cancellation policy

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

What you’ll do

Visit Ohmiwa Shrine

Try holy water

Visit Hase Temple

Gain sacred wisdom

Take away memories

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews5.0, · 52 reviews

Upcoming availability

Where we’ll meet

More experiences in Nara

About me

Explore spiritual power spots

Listing highlights

Hosted by AkikoCultural guide

JR Nara stationNara, Japan

Things to know

Guest requirements

Activity level

What to bring

Accessibility

Cancellation policy

Cultural tours with knowledgeable hosts

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars, from 52 reviews