Traditional performing arts can be enjoyed at this annual festival held since the 12th century. Named after the Wakamiya shrine that resides in the larger Kasuga-Taisha shrine complex, this On-Matsuri was originally held to pray for a rich harvest an..
Ikoma is in the northwestern part of Nara Prefecture and is noted for Mt Ikoma, the mountain range which divides Osaka from Nara Prefecture. Mt Ikoma is part of the Kongo Ikoma Quasi National Park and is a popular spot for viewing cherry blossoms during spring. On top of Mt..
Gose city was formed in 1958, has an estimated population of 33,000 people. Some of the more notable locations in Gose include: Kamotsuwa Shrine Kamoyamaguchi Shrine Takakamo Shrine Katsuragi Hitokotonushi Shrine Mount Yamato-Katsuragi (959.2 m) Inorinotaki waterfall Bodaiji temple Fushimi..
Inhabited since ancient times, the city area nurtured paddy field agriculture in the fertile Nara Basin since its pre-history. Large keyhole type burial "kofun" mounds were constructed in the northwestern part of the city around the 5th century. With the introduction of West..
Maguro Koya is a Tuna House that is small by name but big on flavour. It's a very short walk from Kintetsu-Nara station, and originally was not a place I was going to visit, however, due to JR issues with the trains that day, we were advised to t..
Just a 3-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station and close to the Higashimuki Shopping Arcade, Cafe Wakakusa is one of Nara's lovely little treasures. Run by Hiro and Sumie, a global-minded couple, Cafe Wakakusa welcomes travelers and locals ali..
Nara city was a former capital of Japan and is now currently the capital of the Nara Prefecture. The city is most famous for the sacred creatures that roam the city - the "shika," or deer. The sites of Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha Shrine are ..
Branded as an ancient paradise beyond memory, Sasayuri-ann in Nara Prefecture is a unique lodging with rich history and fascinating cultural activities set in the birthplace of the Japanese ninja. This mountain villa is the perfect combination of Ja..
The narrow mountain road descended below the clouds at last and into a beech forest still clinging to the last sparse patches of fall foliage. The road plunged deep into a valley and then followed the course of a river upstream to a tiny island of ci..
Until recent years, the exquisite sasayuri lily flourished across the Japanese countryside. Due to environmental factors and development, this once common flower is now a rarity to behold. Similarly, the iconic thatched roof lodgings of Japan's p..
Bold scarlet columns, roofs of Hinoki cypress, bronze lanterns green and gold. Mystical looking stone plinths, changing slowly from granite to green, as time covers them with richly hued moss. A deer with twinkling eyes, peeping quietly through the..
If you take a stroll through the nostalgic streets of old Nara (Naramachi), you will spot something curious. At almost every door hangs a garland of red fabric balls, five in a row. Are they tomatoes? Are they planets? In fact, they are monkeys! T..
Hōryū-ji (法隆寺) is a Buddhist Temple located in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture. It is very famous for its pagoda, widely acknowledged to be one of the world's oldest wooden buildings. Completed in the year of 603, it has been a UNESCO World He..
