Fushimi, Uji & Nara
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Port
Osaka, Japan
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Activity Level
Strenuous
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$239
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 9 - 9 1/2 hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
Leave Osaka port for a full day of sightseeing in southern Kyoto Province and Nara.
You will visit the town of Fushimi, home to no fewer than 37 sake breweries. This is one of Japan's most famous sake-producing towns, as high-quality rice is readily available from the fields of neighboring Shigaken, and the final product is easily loaded onto boats for export downriver to Osaka.
You will stop at one of Fushimi's sake (rice wine) breweries, Kizakura Fushimigura (or similar sake brewery museum). You can tour both a sake brewery and a local craft beer brewery, and learn about the fascinating brewing processes.
In the southern part of Kyoto, visit Uji. This small city is historically rich in Heian-period culture and is home to the Byodo-in Temple — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was once the villa of Minister Fujiwara Michinaga — the model for the hero in the Japanese classic The Tale of Genji — and was converted into a temple by his son in 1052. The main hall, called the Phoenix Hall, stands in the beautiful garden and was built in 1053. You will view it from the outside. It is one of Japan's most famous buildings, and its image graces the back of the ten-yen coin. The temple's excellent museum houses the elegant temple bell and other treasures.
Transfer to Nara — Japan's first real capital. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, founded in AD 710 in its forest location. This shrine conveys an atmosphere of peace and sanctity, perhaps unmatched by any other shrine. The buildings, painted vermilion, showcase the Kasuga architectural style. Some 3,000 lanterns line the road east from the second torii gate. Beyond the Heiden, a floorless structure built in 1650, the Main Hall is surrounded by an impressive gallery. You will see the Todaiji Temple and the Hall of the Great Buddha, dating from 1709. This is the world's largest wooden structure. The Great Buddha, a National Treasure, was cast in bronze in eight sections over three years and completed in 749. It is one of the largest bronze statues in the world.
You will return to Osaka in the late afternoon.
Notes:
Admission to the main hall at Uji Byodo-in Temple is not included in the tour; feel free to purchase a ticket to enter at your own expense. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Unfamiliar accents can be challenging; feel free to ask your guide to repeat or elaborate on information, and to speak more slowly so you can fully comprehend and converse. Tour sequence may vary.