Kasugayama is a forest that has been protected since the ninth century, which is why it feels different from any other woodland in the region. Hunting and logging were banned here in 841, because the hill is sacred to the Kasuga shrine, and the result is a primeval stand of cedar, cypress, oak and evergreens on the slopes just east of Nara. Deer roam through it, as they do through the park below, and in autumn their calls echo through the trees. In the shrine's grounds, thousands of stone lanterns line the paths, donated by worshippers over the centuries, and thousands of bronze lanterns hang from the eaves, lit twice a year during the lantern festivals.
Kasuga Taisha was founded in 768 by the Fujiwara family, the most powerful clan of the age, to protect the new capital, and its vermilion halls, with their painted pillars and sweeping eaves, are among the most beautiful in Japan. For centuries the buildings were rebuilt every twenty years, a Shinto custom of renewal, and the shrine remains alive with priests, dancers and festivals. A walk up through the forest to the shrine is gentle and beautiful, with moss, ferns and the smell of cedar.
This is a site to visit on foot, but the roads nearby are good. The Nara Okuyama Drive Way, a toll road that winds through the hills east of the city, is a popular route for riders, with steady curves and views over the basin, though check whether it is open to motorcycles on the day. Traffic builds in the cherry and maple seasons, and the park roads fill with tour buses at the weekend. Deer cross without warning, particularly at dusk.
Nara has everything a visitor needs, with petrol stations on the main roads and plenty of cafes near the park, where you can try warabi mochi and kudzu noodles. Entry to the main shrine area and the inner sanctuaries may require a fee, and hours vary. Go early on a weekday, preferably in the misty light of November or the fresh green of late April, when the forest is at its best.