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Cycling tour in ancient Asuka

Explore Asuka,  the birth place of Japan

Located about 1 hour south of Nara city by train, a one-day tour of Asuka village offers a captivating blend of ancient history, mysterious culture, and natural beauty of the countryside, inviting visitors to step back in time and space, immerse themselves in the ancient legacy of this historic region.  

 

Highlights

  • Enjoy cycling through the countryside with the vast sky and 

  • Marvel at enigmatic stone monuments and ancient carvings in many places in the village.

  • Visit  Japan's oldest Buddhist temple, Asuka Dera, and pray to the bronze Asuka Daibutsu statue that existed in the same place for over 1400 years.

  • Take in the panoramic views of the Asuka rice terraces, a scenic landscape carved into the hillsides by generations of farmers.

  • Savor the local specialty food, and strawberry (Asuka ruby) ice cream!

  • Immerse yourself in the culture and lifestyle of the Asuka period at "Asuka Historical Museum". 

  • Enjoy a panoramic view of Asuka village and Yamato Plain from the observation point.

Note:

  • If it rains hard on the tour day, the tour will automatically become a tour with local bus rides.  

  • The route and time allotment can be changed according to your interests, preferences, the season, and the weather.

 

 

About the tour in detail: With the right historical understanding and spiritual viewpoint, you will be amazed how this small village of Asuka has unique and special for us today to have harmony. Some sites to visits are: -Oka-dera Temple:  Built on the hilltop in the 7th century, looking over Asuka village, this is one of the 33 sacred Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) pilgrimage sites in the Kansai region.  It has an interesting legend, an evil dragon is kept in a pond..   -Ishibutai Burial Mound:  Japan’s largest stone tomb,  the symbol of Asuka. It has a huge stone chamber that people can go inside.  -Amakashi-no-Oka Hill  enjoy a panoramic view of Asuka village and Yamato Plain from the observation point.  -Asukaniimasu Shrine Famous for "ondamatsuri" festival, with unique sexual gestures, symbolically welcoming abundant harvest and prosperity. There are rocks carved as male and female symbols, and many people come and pray for the safe delivery of a baby,  good relationships, and finding the right partner. This shows native nature worship for the power of nature.  -Asukadera Temple :  This is the first Buddhist Temple in Japan. We can still see the oldest Buddha statue (Asuka Daibutsu) that has been sitting in the same place for over 1400 years.   -Nara Prefecture Complex of Man’yo Culture (museum): Here, you can experience the atmosphere of the ancient Asuka, where the poetry collection of Man'yo shu was made.  You can see how people in the Asuka era used to appreciate and received inspiration from nature to make poets.   Also, we can enjoy beautiful Japanese paintings with themes of Yamato and  Man'yo shu. -Asuka Historical Museum:  best place to learn about Asuka's history, culture, and politics.   This museum has replicas of all the mysterious stone carvings.  Without the right historical understanding and spiritual viewpoint, all these sites could be seen as just objects in the past of the Japanese.  But, the small village of Asuka has a lot of lessons for many of us today. … ​

Tour Gallery

Lisa Smith

Wonderful tour of Asuka and its history. We used an electric bike to get around and had a wonderful lunch at a cafe. Akiko is a very knowledgeable and open-hearted guide. she enjoyed giving the tour as much as I was enjoying the tour, making the experience very positive. It felt like i was having an experience with a friend. I would connect with her for future tours for sure.

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