In the middle of the sprawling city of Sakai, south of Osaka, a large keyhole-shaped mound rises above a ring of moats, covered in dense forest and surrounded by houses, roads and shops. This is the Nisanzai Kofun, a monumental tomb built in the fifth century for a member of the ruling elite of early Japan. It is one of the largest of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a collection of burial mounds listed by UNESCO in 2019, which includes the enormous Daisen Kofun, traditionally attributed to the emperor Nintoku and one of the largest tombs in the world by area.
The kofun cannot be entered, as they are managed by the Imperial Household Agency, and you can only walk around the outside, along the moats. But the scale is impressive, and the contrast between the ancient wooded mounds and the modern city around them is striking. The best way to appreciate their shape is from above, and the observation floor of the Sakai City Hall offers a view over the mounds that makes sense of what you cannot see from the ground.
Riding in Sakai is urban riding, with heavy traffic, traffic lights, narrow streets and the need to follow Japanese road rules carefully. It is not a scenic ride, but it is a fascinating place to explore, with a long history as a trading port and a centre of craftsmanship. Sakai is famous for its knives, made by skilled smiths for centuries, and many chefs consider them among the best in the world. The tea master Sen no Rikyū, who shaped the Japanese tea ceremony, was born in Sakai in the sixteenth century.
For better riding, head south east towards the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, where winding roads lead to Mount Kōya, the great monastic centre founded by the monk Kūkai in the ninth century, and to the ancient pilgrimage routes of Kumano. The roads there are narrow, twisty and spectacular, through forests of cedar and cypress. Sakai has fuel, shops and plenty of restaurants, and the larger cities of Osaka and Nara are nearby. Summers are hot and humid, with typhoons possible in late summer, while spring and autumn are the best times to ride.