Hasedera Temple (長谷寺) has to be one of Nara’s prettiest temples, and I have not even visited it at the prettiest time of year! This temple is another one of the places that is super famous to Japanese people, BUT very few foreign tourists bother to trek South of Nara city, so most people miss out on this gem! Now, there isn’t much of a hike to get to this temple. It is only 15 minutes walk from Hasedera station….
Do you like visiting slightly less obvious things when you explore an area? If so, can you imagine visiting Japan’s largest papier-mâché tiger? What if I told you it was also at one of Japan’s oldest temples, Chogosonshi-ji, perched on top of a mountain, but still within easy reach from Osaka or Nara? Even if you didn’t know it was possible to make such a large tiger from papier-mâché, you’ll still have fun visiting Shigisan so add this onto your list of…
Muroji is my favourite temple in the whole of Japan. It is located to the south east of Nara City within Uda City. If you like quiet, calming ancient buildings surrounded by lush woodlands, you may love it as well. To reach Muroji temple, most people take the train to Muroguchiono station, and then take a bus to to the temple. However you can make a day of it, by hiking to the temple past an ancient carved cliff face…
The Yamanobe no michi (山辺の道) is a beautiful walk through Japanese countryside along Japan’s oldest road. The trail was originally part of the Shinkaido trail all the way from Hasedera to Edo (modern day Tokyo) and it is the first road mentioned in Japanese historic records. The pathway is now mostly a dirt track that hugs the base of the mountains along the Eastern side of Nara Prefecture. It is a pretty easy trail to follow, and there are plenty of…