Higashiyama Kofun is the east hill, and that is how it was named, by neighbours who had no idea what was under the trees. It is another of the Furuichi mounds in the southeast of Osaka, where the Kawachi plain is packed with suburbs and the old tombs of the Yamato kings are tucked between them. The nearest named town on the ride is Kashihara, but you are among the streets of Habikino and Fujiidera, within sight of the Kongo hills.
One thing worth noticing here is how the tombs shaped irrigation and farming. The moats served as reservoirs, and for centuries farmers drew water from them to feed rice paddies, which is part of the reason many of the tombs survived at all. The Kawachi plain has some of Japan's oldest reservoirs, and the sight of still water around a mound is a clue to its long working life, not just a mournful ornament.
The mound is wooded, fenced, and signposted. A path leads around part of it and you can peek at the water. It is a place for twenty minutes, not two hours, and the best way to use it is as a counterpoint to the grander tombs nearby. Climb out of the neighbourhood and look back at the plain from the hills; the dark patches of trees among the rooftops are the tombs.
The roads are as urban as roads can be. Narrow lanes, bicycles, school crossings and endless traffic lights, with petrol stations and convenience stores at every corner. A touring machine feels clumsy here; a small commuter bike is ideal. Fuel is no concern, and Osaka's food culture is a constant temptation, with takoyaki from a street stall at any hour.
The seasons are marked clearly. Spring brings cherry blossom, early summer brings the rainy season, when the moats turn jade green, and autumn brings crisp air and golden light, ideal for walking. Late summer is the worst, humid and loud with insects. If the sun is low, the tomb's shape can sometimes be read from a nearby rooftop or footbridge, which is the closest you get to the aerial view the builders never saw.