Bicycles are the unofficial emblem of Sakai, and that makes Hatazuka a nicely ironic place to begin a motorcycle ride. The city's most famous modern company, Shimano, which makes gears and brakes for cyclists around the world, was founded here in the 1920s, and on the quiet streets around the old tombs you will see a great many commuters, children and elderly shoppers on two wheels. Hatazuka itself is one of the smaller mounded tombs in the cluster of fifth-century monuments that the city is proud of, its earthen slopes now wooded and its moat quiet, an easy place to pause and look at before the day's engine noise begins.
The ride goes north-east to Hokki-ji, a small temple in Ikaruga, in Nara prefecture, a few steps from the more famous Horyu-ji. Hokki-ji has a three-storey pagoda that dates from the early eighth century, and it is regarded as the oldest of its type in Japan. It stands in a calm compound among persimmon trees and rice fields, and the whole district around Ikaruga has a flat, rural, almost sleepy feel, with low hills in the distance and old farm walls. Prince Shotoku, the early statesman who promoted Buddhism in Japan at the start of the seventh century, lived and worked here, which makes this district one of the cradles of Japanese culture.
Between Sakai and Ikaruga, expect a lot of town riding. You cross the Yamato river basin, then follow urban roads past suburbs, shopping strips and rice paddies in a patchwork that goes on for most of the way. The pace is slow, the junctions are frequent, and speed limits are enforced with cameras and patrol cars. It is a relaxed day for exploring rather than for pushing the machine, and the reward is the surprise of finding a thirteen-hundred-year-old pagoda down a lane between houses.
Everything you need is easy to find. Fuel stations sit on every main road, and you will not go hungry, with bakeries, noodle shops and vending machines all around. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild air and clear light, while the damp heat of summer can be fierce on the plain. Use the long weekend queues as an excuse to leave early, because Nara is popular with visitors and the roads fill up by late morning.