East of the great ranges, the Osaka plain narrows toward the Yamato river, and this is where the old tomb country of the Furuichi group begins. Minegazuka is one of the burial mounds scattered through the districts of Habikino, Fujiidera and Kashiwara, all of them tucked into a landscape that is now mostly suburbs, vineyards and small factories. These monuments belong to the same fifth-century family of tombs as the ones around Sakai, and together the two clusters make up a single World Heritage property. The largest mound in this neighbourhood, close by in Habikino, is the tomb traditionally given to the emperor Ojin, one of the largest mounds in the country by volume.
There is another surprise: Habikino and Kashiwara are the heart of Osaka's grape country. The slopes at the foot of the hills carry vineyards of table grapes and some wine grapes, and in late summer you will pass roadside stalls selling the fruit. It is the kind of detail that makes the area feel lived in rather than a museum piece, a place where the ancient mounds simply stand beside the vines.
The ride goes to Todai-ji in Nara, where the Great Buddha Hall shelters a bronze figure that was consecrated in 752, the original centrepiece of the capital's religious life. The present hall is smaller than the first, though still huge, and it counts among the largest wooden buildings anywhere. Next door, the deer of Nara Park bow for rice crackers and will happily steal a map out of your pocket, so keep the bike luggage zipped. To get there you go east over the Kongo-Ikoma hills by one of the old passes, which give a little relief from city riding: some bends, a bit of forest, a view back across the plain.
You can find fuel in every town along the way. Aim to cross the hills outside rush hours and not on a sunny autumn Sunday, when the road to Nara is blocked with traffic. If you want a break before the climb, the grape farms often have little cafes and shops, which is a pleasant change from vending-machine coffee.