Cycling along Yamanobe no Michi

Last Sunday the weather was simply amazing.  It felt a lot more like early summer than autumn. Definitely no complaints about that! Since I had some free time I hooked up with KCDC to do some riding.  After tossing around ideas of where to go, I brought up Yamanobe no Michi, the oldest known road in Japan. It is located in Nara prefecture, just south of Tenri city, along the eastern mountains in Nara. The road is said to have originally connected Nara city and Sakurai. It is mentioned in the history book “Nihon Shoki” (The chronicles of Japan) which was finished in the year 720 A.D. The book itself is the second oldest book of classical Japanese History.  Parts of the road can still be seen along a 15km stretch between Isonokami Jingu Shrine in Tenri and Sakurai. The road has now become a very popular hiking trail with many sites of historical significance along the way.

 Cotton stand

 KCDC X Hikers

Kaki (Japanese Persimmon) for sale along the road side

 Palm tree X Kaki farm

Ancient tomb in the background

 KCDC riding the Nara version of Paris–Roubaix

Tomb of Queen Himiko

A short stop at Yamato Shrine in Tenri