Asuka Tour– category –

Overview The first thing I noticed walking toward Omiwa Shrine was what wasn’t there. Beyond the great torii gate and the worship hall, there is no main sanctuary building — because at Omiwa, the mountain itself is the sacred object. Mou...

Overview The moment I step off the train in Asuka, the scenery changes. Low hills replace convenience stores, rice fields spread out where a city center might be, and it feels less like arriving somewhere new than like stepping back into...

Overview Imai-cho is Japan's largest Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, a merchant town that has kept its Edo-period streetscape for more than two centuries. The town grew up around Shonenji Temple in the sixteent...