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We immersed ourselves wonderfully in the history of Nara, had a great dinner, and our guide Shin told us a lot and answered every question without ever looking at the time; furthermore, we had fun, despite the many people due to the holiday.

We had an amazing trip today. We learned a lot about japanese religions and japanese culture. We had our amazing lunch at a small restaurant, and tasted their local sake. We appreciate all the short cuts, thank you so much!

The whole experience was very good.  We walked around Nara to places we couldn’t imagine.  Thank you Mr Shin for your guidance!

Nara is clearly worth a visit! An absolutely stunningly beatiful place - and funny to feed the deer that roam around both the park and the city.Our guide, Shin, was both pleasant and helpful - also when our tour came to an end and we had to find the right train.

We had an amazing time! Shin was very insightful, funny and friendly. He even took some amazing photo for us and planned a wonderful lunch. The whole tour was five hours but time flew by. From each temple and shine, deer feedings and seeing the worlds largest Buddha, I’d recommend this tour.

It was a really good experience doing the guided tour with Shin. It's so much more interesting to hear all the details that you would normally not know. The tour was relaxed and a nice pace, and because it's a small group you don't look silly, get in the way, or follow someone holding a stick in the air around. The lunch was top notch and very relaxing. The value for the money is unbeatable, to have a guide dedicated to so few people for 5 hours, with such good food. I'm not normally one to pay for tours but this was great, will do it again now.

Loved the tour! Our tour guide Shin-san went above and beyond for us! I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Nara!

Fantastic tour and very informative. Great for the whole family!

Mr Shin was fantastic, we loved the insights and local understanding.  One of the best private tours we have booked.

With Shin, we experienced a very informative, entertaining, and consistently funny tour through the park in Nara. We learned a lot about the temples and shrines and had fun with the nodding sika deer. The choice of restaurant for lunch was also very successful.

I was running half an hour late and the guide was ready to accommodate me right away. He gave me a new meetup point. He also provided  crackers for the deers and accompanied my dietary restrictions. He took a bunch of pictures which was so wonderful for me as I was a solo traveler. Thank you so much for the experience and explanation. I really enjoyed the trip. 🥰

Shin Takeda was wonderful!!  So knowledgeable, funny, courteous.  10/10.

Absolutely amazing tour, our guide Shin was an absolutely wonderful guide who was very informative and helpful. Shin made the tour even more enjoyable.Overall would absolutely recommend the tour to others.

Shin was amazing. We were 30 minutes late because we took the wrong train from Kyoto and he waited and customize the trip to our itinerary to make sure that we get back in time to the train. Nora is wonderful and you have an entirely different experience with a guide compared to self-directed. I highly recommend this. Bonus? The Guide Tuk took 7 to 10 fantastic photographs at spots we would never have found.

Shin was a wonderful guide, took amazing pictures, and was so kind with our lateness.

Great tour. Shin was very knowledgeable. Took us to places early in the tour where he knew there would be less people, then to the main Temple after lunch, when it was quieter in the afternoon.

We had a great day with Shin! He knew all the shortcuts and the best places to go to avoid crowds. He also took some great pictures of us, which was helpful. We booked a group tour, but it was only the two of us which was very nice. Fantastic lunch as well!

Shin is awesome! So knowledgeable and easygoing and funny. We learned a lot, but also had a great time with him and his trainee! A lot of walking, feeding deer, and miscellaneous souvenir shopping and he always waited with good recs. Thank you both!

We opted for a half day group tour to Nara so as to learn more about the locations and surroundings.  We got SO MUCH MORE from Shin-san our amazing guide.  His “off the beaten track” tour meant we avoided the weekend crowds, fed the deer, went forest bathing, saw lakes, temples and shrines, and enjoyed a wonderful Japanese Lunch.  Superb local knowledge and enthusiasm to engage with every member of our group, Shin-san’s tour was worth every penny (¥en) !!!!

Fantastic day with a great group and tour guide

Shin was very pleasant, solicitous and informative. He answered all our questions.

Shin Takeda was an excellent guide! Very knowledgeable, engaging, helpful, and considerate. We did the Nara Half Day Trip Walking Tour. I highly recommend this tour especially with Shin!

Shin was punctual, polite, informative and friendly for our walking tour of Nara. He has a good understanding of English and we could easily understand him. The walk was at our pace even though we clocked up many steps that afternoon. A very interesting informative and happy experience. A delicious traditional lunch was included.

We had a lovely half-day walking tour in Nara with Shin San. He was warm, knowledgeable, and very engaging throughout the tour. He explained the history and culture of Nara in a simple and interesting way, and his passion for the city really came through. Shin San was also patient, friendly, and made the whole experience feel personal and relaxed. Thanks to him, our visit was both enjoyable and memorable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Nara, and Shin San truly made it special.

Shin was a wonderful guide & we had a great day exploring Nara sights together.

Shin was a very kind and funny guy, and we really enjoyed our half day walking tour around Nara. He took so many great photos of us, and we learned so much! Thanks Shin 🙏 - Peter and Monica from Seattle

Had a lovely tour with Shin! I’m here for research but have my five year old with me, and I appreciate his patience as she was having a tough time with jetlag and was emotionally all over the place! Shin was knowledgeable and helpful, and I got to see some really neat things I would have otherwise missed. The tour itself has a lot of walking but is mostly flat—my daughter had no trouble with it.

We had the most amazing day walking around Nara Park and visiting the temples within it. Shin, our Tour Guide was so lovely and informative. We had a wonderful lunch (accommodating dietary requirements) and saw so many bowing dear within the park. That was a definite highlight. Shin gave us heaps of crackers to feed the deer and he took many photos of us and air dropped them at the end of the tour. We would definitely recommend a walking tour. It was not rushed and didn’t feel at all tiring. Loved it!

Shin was a great and knowledgeable guide. Very easy to communicate with and funny as well. We had a memorable time and highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for an excellent introduction to Kyoto.

Great to hear about the shrines and temples. Shin did a great job. Great lunch and exciting to see the deer and culture. It was nice hearing g about how the temple was rebuilt. Guide was very knowledgeable.

The guide (Shin) does his best to take you away from the crowded areas and explains the shrines in detail. He is very knowledgeable and explains the history of the shrines and park. We had a Japanese style lunch, stopped by a few shops and overall had a very pleasant day. This overall was a very good day and I recommend taking yours kids on this journey.

Such a great experience, 10/10 recommend!! Shin was an amazing guide, so knowledgeable and fun, and went above and beyond.  Deer were so cute, temples were amazing, and lunch was delicious.

Great way to explore Nara on a day trip from Kyoto, with Shin as our guide. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging.Notable moments included a visit to a traditional moss garden, finding some of the Nara deer in quieter areas of the park and an impromptu calligraphy experience. Our family of six had a great day out with Shin!

Our guide Shin provided a wonderful walking tour which included  a delicious Japanese brunch in an authentic high quality restaurant. Shin was professional and friendly ensuring that we were fine throughout  including food safety due to my allergy. We learnt so much about Japanese culture and food through various tastings throughout the market stalls. Tour is highly recommended to experience Japanese food and culture.

10/10 experience. Shin was the most amazing tour guide. Not only with knowledgeable information but also personal approach. Taking photos, caring about family members. Went well and above what a normal tour guide would. He felt part of our family. Highly (probably still not giving enough credit) recommend Shin to be your tour Guide 😊 Cheers from Grant, Maree, and Molly Williams plus Amy, Ryan, Jasper, Sapphire and Flint Swalwell

Shin is the BEST! Insane knowledge base, hilarious conversation and such a kind kind man. Had an amazing day and highly recommend. 10/10

So much fun! Shin was a fantastic guide. Delicious food, great information and even snuck in some shopping. Definitely recommend!

Super authentic and unique. Nara is beautiful and Shin is very patient and excellent with his explanations, we feel very well accompanied with the

We really enjoyed experiencing Nara with this small group tour led by Shin! We got to see and understand so much more because of it. Shin shared so much knowledge with us and even knew all the best spots to take photos at. We highly recommend this tour to get the most out of Nara in a half day! Lunch was great too :)

We loved Shin! Thankyou for such a great walking tour around your beautiful city! Shin was so kind, understanding and patient with our two kids 3 & 5 years old. We cannot recommend Shin and this tour enough! 10/10 

Heffernan Family 

We had the most wonderful Nara experience today with our guide Shin. Not only was he so kind and understanding with our two kids ages 5 & 3 but a wealth of knowledge and great sense of humour! We can’t recommend enough! Thankyou for an amazing day in your beautiful city.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour! Shin was just the right mix of entertaining  & knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

Shin was a great guide! He was very welcoming and funny that made our tour so much better! Yummy food we wouldn’t have tried otherwise!

Visiting Nara was amazing! Our guide Shin was so nice and easy to talk to. He did a great job at giving us the history of the area while letting us enjoy it as well

Shin was an excellent tour guide. We really appreciated his insight into the local monuments and traditions. We are looking forward to returning

shin was funny, patiently and well-informed.
we enjoyed the time with him and the thousands of deers;)

Shin informed us very well in English during the several-hour guided tour of the large temple complex! Without this tour you would surely be overwhelmed to find your way around! Definitely recommended!

This was an excellent tour! Shin, our guide, was wonderful. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour!

Shin was the best tour guide! Very fun story teller and we had a great time touring Nara! thanks Shin for all the memories!

Shin Takeda was very knowledgeable, professional and also funny. We gained insight that we wouldn’t have otherwise. Highly recommended.

This was a fantastic tour. All of the destinations were fantastic. The lunch was a great spot and well needed after many steps. We learned a lot about the area and its history. The deer were incredibly fun to intersect with as well. Shin was a fantastic tour guide as well

Fantastic tour! Got a great explanation of the temples, yummy lunch and tips on how to feed the deer! Shin was a great tour guide and very funny and knowledgeable:)

Super clear and friendly guide, tons of great information. Interesting and unforgettable, not too long. Terrific lunch!

Shin was a wonderful guide. We saw beautiful temples and shrines. He gave great historical perspective about each site we visited. We also had a great traditional Japanese lunch!

A wonderful experience, the time flew by and we got to see the whole park as well as all the temples, with lots of great info!

Our guide today was at times hard to hear and understand.   He was friendly and helpful but with all the people around we missed a lot of the information.    

tour was great, the guide very insightful and we have many memories thanks to his cooperation with photos. highly recommend for anyone

Spectacular visit and especially our guide Chin super nice and especially super prepared. Would highly recommend

Our guide Shin was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Fantastic tour. Well worth the walk in the heat. Couldn’t recommend more highly.

Our family of 4 enjoyed the walking tour of Nara.  Shin was an excellent tour guide and showed us around the sites at a good pace for all.  The lunch catered for a shellfish allergy.  Nara is a very special place worth visiting.

Excellent tour and tour guide. We highly recommend this company. The tour lasted 5 hours and included a nice traditional Japanese lunch.

Fantastic 3hr walking tour of Nara with Shin! These other reviews and descriptions were spot on and helpful. Our small group (we were 5) joined by another party of 3 met Shin at the designated meeting spot outside the train station and from there walked to each of the planned stops with SO MANY deer along the way. Definitely a highlight of our 1 week in Japan!

The MagicalTrip Nara tour was a splendid experience! Our guide, Shin, was so friendly and attentive to our needs in addition to being knowledgeable about the temples and shrines and other areas we visited. He took the time to make sure we got the full experience by teaching us how to properly show respect at Torii gates, shrines and temples. Throughout the whole tour, we really got a sense of the span of history and the reverence that Japanese people have for these places.And, of course, feeding the deer was a delight. They’re adorable and sometimes very insistent if you’re not giving up the goods.We cannot recommend this tour, and Shin, more highly.

Shin gave us a wonderful tour! Even with the heat, my daughter and I had so much fun together. Shin was kind and extremely knowledgeable. Thank you, Shin!

Our tour guide Shin was amazing! He was so knowledgeable of the areas we were walking through and was an absolute joy to talk to. Would definitely take a tour with him again!

Our guide Shin was very informative and friendly We saw lots of deer which we fed and the huge Buddha in the biggest temple

Shin San is a great guide who showed us the most wonderful places to visit in Nara as a local, he is a person who knows a lot about history and religion, so the tour is highly recommended to uniquely appreciate the city.

This was one of my most favorite tours during my trip! Nara was beautiful with so many different temples and areas to explore. I absolutely loved feeding the deer too! Most critical to the great day, though, was our exceptional guide, Shin. He was so welcoming and brought great energy to the group. He was also extremely knowledgeable - he shared such interesting information and seemed to know most everything! Lunch was terrific and I very much appreciated the accommodation of food needs.  I highly recommend this tour, and particularly Shin! Thank you for a great day!

Shin was a great guide and led us on an informative and entertaining tour of the main Nara sites. I’d recommend this tour.

We had a great time visiting the Great Buddha and area shrines—and feeding all the deer! Gorgeous! I’d recommend to anyone who wants to see some Nara highlights. Our tour guide Shin was very funny and helpful!

We enjoyed this small size tour with our guide Shin. He was very knowledgeable of the sites we visited and was great at including everyone in the group. The advantage of a small group with a local guide is he knew the best routes to avoid the crowds when possible and took us to some unique shops. Shin made sure we had many opportunities to feed the deer, especially for our teen daughter who specifically chose this adventure. Lunch at a local restaurant was delicious, plentiful, and a sampling of several foods that included dessert.  Shin gave us some great options for shaved ice and ramen in Nara because we are staying overnight here at a hotel.  We highly recommended Shin and this tour.

Shin was amazing and knowledgeable. It was a beautiful and educational walk. A must! Shopping, food, and lots and lots of shrines and temples.

we had a very good tour with Shin he was a very pleasent man i left my phone behined in one of the souviner shops and he was able to relocate it and got it back for me super fast


Shin is the nicest tour guide I've ever had in Japan. It was a very good tour, we walked quite a lot through the most emblematic places and the food was very delicious.

Shin is a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable about history in the Nara area and in Japan. Shin easy to get along with. Lots of laughing and joking.

Great visit to the main sites of Nara, very friendly guide who explained the history of Nara with a delicious lunch!

Shin was the best! we enjoyed the local knowledge, pace was perfect, lunch was delicious! This is a great tour for families, or couples - or anyone else!

Nice experience!Been to beautiful places and lots of fun facts at learned ,fun guide . Glad we did that👍🏻

Shin San was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. He knew the area very well and took wonderful photos to add to our memory book.

Our guide was great showed lots of temples with explanations and gave me time to get goshuin at each temple.  We also fed the deer and had a great lunch.

Excellent tour with our well-informed guide Shin! Lots to see but also lots of walking - it really is a half-day! Shin kindly took photos throughout and was happy to answer any and all questions we had. Nice that it was quite a small group. Also the lunch was fantastic with lots of quality fresh Japanese cuisine in the typical small plates style - we were so full afterwards!

It was a amazing trip. The park is really pretty and we earn so much time for having a guide. The tour guide was so nice and knowledgeable s lot about the place. You have to walk a lot so be prepared

We had a great tour of Nara Park.  Shin was a fantastic guide and shared a wealth of knowledge about the history and culture of Nara.

Shin was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great half day seeing Nara. This was walking tour that started at 10am and was done by 3pm.

Shin Takeda was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about Nara! We loved how he gave us emergency cookies for the deer. We are very thankful for having him as our guide.

Fantastic experience our guide Shin was informative and entertaining.lunch was included and was delicious as well as many samples throughout our walking tour of the Market

Great walking tourFun with Shin whose local knowledge is immense Finished with wonderful lunchThe market and surrounding area was very interesting Overall fully recommended

It was an entertaining and educational 5 hours that we spent in Nara. Shin was our guide, and he was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and had a good sense of humour. We had fun feeding the many deer with the special deer cookies that Shin provided us with. The lunch that was provided was delicious and was a nice example of Japanese food culture. We highly recommend this tour.

Had a great experience with Shin.  We were fortunate that we were the only ones in the group.  This was one of the best experiences of our whole Japan trip even though it was raining the whole day.

This tour was great, very informative and low key. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to understand Japanese history and culture further.

My sister and I went in early January, lovely sunny day with amazing viewsWe fed deers, explored Nara and all the temples.  Shout out to our tour guide Shin!!

Shin was a fabulous guide. He showed us some unexpected locations, gave us his knowledge and insight into the sacred area and Nara as a whole. He took photos during the tour and shared them with us which was delightful. Shin is funny, witty, interesting and made this great tour an excellent one.

This was an amazing trip. Our guide made everything so fun and his knowledge of the areas was spectacular. My wife and I had such a wonderful time and we got to see the deer and he treated us to an amazing lunch! I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to experience Nara!

Great tour of Nishiki markets with Shin, very informative and lots of fun. Tried some local foods along the way and finished with lunch. Thank you for a great morning,

The tour was amazing and lunch was incredible The deer were very cute and the tour guide was very informative and provided recommendations on what to do in Osaka

SHIN

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