Tourist Spots

The Yoshino mountain is designated a world heritage site. Ever since the ancient times, this mountain was known as a popular cherry blossom spot: its beautiful scenic view inspired many verses that are featured in Japan’s most famous poetry collection, the Man'yoshu. At the time of full bloom, you can witness roughly thirty thousand flowers blooming across the whole mountain. See for yourself this incredible view that served as inspiration for many artworks.

These temples all have a history longer than a thousand and two hundred years. They are popular destinations as part of the Nara-Yamato Four Temples Pilgrimage. Apart from visiting these historical places, you can also enjoy the extraordinary scenery in this area, especially when the flowers are in bloom.

Imaicho is a historic district, which was preserved mostly in its original form. Imaicho was built around the Shonenji Temple, which visitors can still visit to this day. It is also possible to enter some of the historical buildings, such as the Imanishi residence, and the Yonetani Residence. This is an immersive experience for all who are interested in discovering the landscape of historical Japan.
Additionally, you can also learn more about the special tea ceremony of the tea master Imai Sokyu, as well as merchants located in the Imai area. The “Yamato Tea Porridge” that is cooked on a traditional, kamado-style fireplace also has a high reputation here.

This area is the birthplace of somen, with a thousand and two hundred years of practice behind its craftsmanship. Somen is a Japanese dish including noodles, which are often served cold. In this shop, you can enjoy somen prepared both hot and cold, at the local restaurant, and discover the taste of long-kept traditions.

The Three Yamato Mountains is a collective term for Amanokaguyama, Unebiyama, and Miminashiyama. The mountains are all referred to in the Man'yoshu (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”) poetry anthology. It is a perfect hiking course for those who want to explore more of Japan’s rich cultural and historic sites.

This specialty store is famous for manufacturing and selling persimmon sweets and other products. You can try everything from chilled persimmon to persimmon vinegar here. This is a persimmon lovers’ paradise!

Kudzu mochi and kudzu kiri are traditional sweets made using just two ingredients - arrowroot (kudzu) starch and water. Nakai Shunpudo's window kitchen gives you a unique chance to witness these local treats be prepared from scratch right in front of your eyes! The store also offers classes where you can challenge making kudzu kiri by yourself.

The Kashihara Shrine was built in order to enshrine Japan’s very first emperor, Jimmu. Emperor Jimmu is believed to be the descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The town of Kashihara itself was recorded as the place where Japan was founded in the Nihon Shoki. This shrine was erected in the Meiji period, which was an era that saw an attempt to reinforce imperial authority in Japan, as opposed to the rule of the military class in the past centuries.
There is a treasure museum on site, displaying swords, several documents, paintings, pottery, calligraphy and other objects in the shrine’s possession.

The Asuka region lends its name to one of the earliest periods of Japanese history, and the birth of "Japan" as a concept. Asuka Village is reachable by a one-day free bus, with rental bicycles and volunteer guides allowing to explore this area to the fullest. On the site you can also find the Asuka Museum, which teaches about the Asuka Period in history. The facility is in possession of some artefacts dating back to the seventh century.
Nara Prefecture Complex of Man'yo Culture revolves around one of the most famous poetry anthologies of Japan, the Man'yoshu (literally "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves"). Admire modern paintings inspired by the compilation or visit the facility's interactive area, with models of buildings and people, and its theatre.
Asukadera is said to be Japan’s first Buddhist temple, founded in the sixth century. In here, you can view the Asuka Great Buddha, completed by a master sculptor in the early seventh century.

One of the oldest extant Shinto shrines and sometimes called Japan's first shrine, Omiwa-jinja rests at the base of Mount Miwa, in Sakurai, Nara. The shrine is closely associated with the mountain, which is believed to be the embodiment of the deity worshiped there. For this reason the shrine does not contain any sacred images or objects and while it has a worship hall (honden), it does not have a place to house the deity (shinden). Omiwa also holds significant historical importance, as it stands as a rare example for how Shinto shrines in the Asuka period might have looked like.