Why this ride
An 86 km round trip from Sakai - roughly 1 h 37 in the saddle. On the way it passes Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Yashimazuka Kofun and back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Genemonyama Kofun and Yashimazuka Kofun
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 86 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 37
- 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. Genemonyama Kofun
A tomb moat is a pond with a purpose, and over the centuries it has become something else: a habitat. Genemonyama Kofun is another of the Sakai mounds, and what strikes you first is the water, dark green and quiet, with lotus pads in summer, ducks in winter and grey herons standing at the edge. The moats were dug to separate the tomb from the world and to supply earth for the mound, and farmers later used the water for irrigation, so that the tombs became part of the local water system. Today they shelter fish, turtles, kingfishers and a surprising amount of insect life.
Read the complete Genemonyama Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Genemonyama Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.
2. 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 comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yashimazuka Kofun.
3. Yashimazuka Kofun
In the southeastern suburbs of Osaka, among houses, rice paddies and railway lines, rise wooded mounds surrounded by moats. These are kofun, burial mounds built for the elite of ancient Japan between the third and seventh centuries, and the Furuichi group around Fujiidera and Habikino contains some of the largest in the country. Yashimazuka is one of the smaller mounds in the group, standing close to much bigger keyhole-shaped tombs attributed to emperors and empresses. Together with the Mozu group in Sakai, these mounds were listed by UNESCO in 2019 as the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group.
Read the complete Yashimazuka Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 42 km into the recorded legs you reach Yashimazuka Kofun. Next is back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.
4. back through 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 through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, late in the day. Next is Genemonyama Kofun.
5. Genemonyama Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Genemonyama Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Genemonyama Kofun. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Genemonyama Kofun to Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Genemonyama Kofun → Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area to Yashimazuka Kofun
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area → Yashimazuka Kofun is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yashimazuka Kofun to back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Yashimazuka Kofun → back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area to Genemonyama Kofun
back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area → Genemonyama Kofun is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.