JAPAN & KOREA

Kyoto and Nara: Temples, Gardens and Old Capitals

Kyoto and Nara: Temples, Gardens and Old Capitals

A slow, guided immersion in Japan's two former capitals — thousands of temples, moss gardens, and the deer-filled park at Nara — with time to actually look.

Kyoto and Nara between them hold well over a hundred UNESCO-listed and nationally protected sites, and most visitors see them in a rushed day trip. This tour instead spends a full week moving slowly between the essential landmarks — Kinkaku-ji's golden reflection, the endless vermillion tunnel of Fushimi Inari, the raked gravel of Ryoan-ji's rock garden — and quieter corners most tours skip, timed early or late to avoid the worst of the crowds.

A day trip to Nara adds Japan's oldest capital, its wooden Todai-ji hall sheltering a 15-metre bronze Buddha, and a park where wild sika deer bow for crackers. Evenings are free to wander Gion's lantern-lit lanes or simply rest at a traditional ryokan. It suits travellers who want cultural depth over a checklist, with a guide who can actually explain what you're looking at.

Hana Novak
WRITTEN BY Hana Novak Central Europe editor

Hana edits our Central Europe coverage from Prague, with a soft spot for mountain railways, spa towns and the quiet corners of the old Habsburg map.

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