Why this ride
From Hōryūji it runs 371 km to Hōryūji; allow about 6 h 14 of riding. The stops in between: Jisho-ji, Himeji-jo and back through Jisho-ji. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area and Himeji-jo
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 371 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 14
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
If you want to stand in front of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, this is the place. Hōryū-ji, a Buddhist temple in the town of Ikaruga south-west of Nara, was founded by Prince Shōtoku in the early seventh century, and although it burned and was rebuilt not long after, its central buildings, including the main hall and the five-storey pagoda, date from around the end of the seventh century. They were among the first sites in Japan inscribed by UNESCO, in 1993.
Read the complete Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area is where the day begins. Next is Jisho-ji.
2. Jisho-ji
Jisho-ji, known to most of the world as Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, sits at the foot of the Higashiyama hills in the northeast of Kyoto. It began in the 1480s as the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, a man who lost interest in governing during a period of civil collapse and devoted himself to art, tea and gardens instead. After his death it became a Zen temple. The pavilion was never actually covered in silver, despite the name, and visitors still argue about whether the plan was dropped for lack of money or for taste.
Read the complete Jisho-ji write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jisho-ji comes up about 58 km into the recorded legs. Next is Himeji-jo.
3. Himeji-jo
Himeji Castle is the one that survived. Japan has a lot of reconstructed keeps, concrete inside and gift shop on the ground floor, but the big white donjon here is the real thing, largely as it stood in the early 1600s when Ikeda Terumasa rebuilt the place on the hill. It came through the bombing of 1945 and the Kobe earthquake of 1995 with the timbers intact, and it has been a World Heritage site since 1993. The plaster is so brilliantly white that people call it Hakuro-jo, the White Heron, and on a clear morning from the east side you can see why: the roofs stack up like a bird lifting off.
Read the complete Himeji-jo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 186 km into the recorded legs you reach Himeji-jo. Next is back through Jisho-ji.
4. back through Jisho-ji
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jisho-ji write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jisho-ji, late in the day. Next is Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.
5. Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area to Jisho-ji
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area → Jisho-ji is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jisho-ji to Himeji-jo
Jisho-ji → Himeji-jo is 128 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Himeji-jo to back through Jisho-ji
Himeji-jo → back through Jisho-ji is 127 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Jisho-ji to Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
back through Jisho-ji → Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.