Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara and Yoshino and Ômine - Kimpusen-ji

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

   Nara was Japan's capital for only seventy-four years, from 710 to 784, but it left a mark out of all proportion to the time. The court modelled the new city on Chang'an, the Chinese capital, with a grid of streets and a palace at the north, and it was here that Buddhism took root as the state religion, that the first histories and poetry anthologies were compiled, and that the great temples were built. Eight monuments are included in the World Heritage listing: Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji, the site of Heijo Palace and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest.

   Read the complete Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara is where the day begins. Next is Fujiwara Palace Site.

2. 2. Fujiwara Palace Site

   Before Nara, before Kyoto, there was Fujiwara-kyō. In 694, the Empress Jitō moved the Japanese court to a new capital in the southern part of the Nara basin, the first in Japan to be laid out on a Chinese-style grid of streets, with the imperial palace at its centre. It lasted only sixteen years, until the court moved north to Nara in 710, but it marked a turning point in the history of the Japanese state.

   Read the complete Fujiwara Palace Site write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Fujiwara Palace Site comes up about 23 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yoshino and Ômine - Kimpusen-ji.

3. 3. Yoshino and Ômine - Kimpusen-ji

   Every April, the hillsides of Yoshino turn pink and white as tens of thousands of cherry trees burst into bloom, and the narrow ridge-top town fills with visitors who come to see one of Japan's most famous blossom displays. But Yoshino is more than a flower show. It is the heart of Shugendō, a mountain religion that blends Buddhism, Shinto and ancient nature worship, and the Kimpusen-ji temple, with its enormous wooden main hall, the Zaō-dō, is its spiritual centre. The temple is part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, listed by UNESCO in 2004.

   Read the complete Yoshino and Ômine - Kimpusen-ji write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 46 km into the recorded legs you reach Yoshino and Ômine - Kimpusen-ji. Next is back through Fujiwara Palace Site.

4. 4. back through Fujiwara Palace Site

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fujiwara Palace Site write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Fujiwara Palace Site, late in the day. Next is Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.

5. 5. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. That is the ride.