Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore and Yashimazuka Kofun

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore

   Kasugayama is a forest that has been protected since the ninth century, which is why it feels different from any other woodland in the region. Hunting and logging were banned here in 841, because the hill is sacred to the Kasuga shrine, and the result is a primeval stand of cedar, cypress, oak and evergreens on the slopes just east of Nara. Deer roam through it, as they do through the park below, and in autumn their calls echo through the trees. In the shrine's grounds, thousands of stone lanterns line the paths, donated by worshippers over the centuries, and thousands of bronze lanterns hang from the eaves, lit twice a year during the lantern festivals.

   Read the complete Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore is where the day begins. Next is Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.

2. 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 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yashimazuka Kofun.

3. 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 32 km into the recorded legs you reach Yashimazuka Kofun. Next is back through Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.

4. 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 Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore.

5. 5. Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore. That is the ride.