Delving deeper into Nara pittoresque countryside

Have you ever heard of the Yoshino district? Me neither… At least until last July when I got the chance to visit there. Located in the Southern part of Nara Prefecture, this rural area is nestled between steep mountains covered with pine trees. It features rich nature, hot springs, and magnificence landscapes. Let me tell you more about my experience there!

Day 1

guest house Apricot

It takes about 1.5 hour by train to reach the Yoshino district from Nara or Osaka. As you approach, you can observe the landscape shifting from dense urban areas to flat areas with rice fields, then finally deep mountains. At my arrival at Shimoichiguchi Station on the Kintetsu Line, I was welcomed by Nami, the owner of the guest house Apricot, one of the three guest houses in Shimoichi Town. After a refreshing stop at the local onsen, we took a 15 min drive to the guest house. It was a pleasure to enjoy a quiet night in the countryside.

Sunset from guest house Apricot

Address 551 Hirohashi, Shimoichi, Yoshino District, Nara

Wa-no-Circle Kirakira

The next morning we went to the public hall to meet the members of Wa-no-Circle Kirakira. This club was started 5 years ago to promote Japanese traditional clothing and foster ties between the members of the community.

Today the club members accepted to dress me up with a yukata (summer kimono) and a hakama (trouser). I really liked the way hakama allows you to move freely. We even did a small tea ceremony. What a wonderful experience!

ceremony at Wa-no-Circle Kirakira

Goyomatsu Limestone Cave

In the afternoon we went to Tenkawa Village. We started by visiting the Goyomatsu Limestone Cave. Exploring the caves gives you an exciting feeling of adventure. Thanks to the colorful illuminations, it is also a perfect place to take some Instagram shots.

Illuminations at Goyomatsu Limestone Cave

Address Nara, Yoshino District, Tenkawa, Dorogawa, 686−139
URL https://www.vill.tenkawa.nara.jp/tourism/spot/5164/

Tenkawa

Next we visited the center of the village. Tenkawa is famous for its hot springs and the main street is lined with ryokan, traditional Japanese inns. At night, the lanterns along the street light up and transports you in a gorgeous setting similar to Hayao Miyazaki animation movie “Spirited Away”. After soaking in one of the public onsen, we headed back to the guest house for a good night sleep.

Retro main street of Tenkawa

URL https://www.vill.tenkawa.nara.jp/tourism/

waribashi (disposable chopsticks) factory Kobo Kien

The final day started with a visit to Kobo Kien, a waribashi (disposable chopsticks) factory. Yoshino is famous for its top quality cedar trees. The center wood is used for building materials while the outer wood is used for manufacturing chopsticks. Also, the chopsticks are dried naturally without using any chemicals. A local product good for nature and people!

Inside the chopstick factory

Address Yomura, Shimoichi, Yoshino District, Nara

Kimpusen-ji Temple on Mount Yoshino

After the waribashi factory, we headed to Mount Yoshino, which someone says is known as the most beautiful mountain in Japan during cherry blossom season thanks to thousands of sakura trees. Mount Yoshino also hosts the Kimpusen-ji, head temple of a branch of the Shugendo, the religion of Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. The main building “Zaodo” is one of the largest wooden structures in Japan. It hosts impressive Buddhist statues. The whole place invites you to contemplation and meditation.

Main building of Kimpusen-ji Temple on Mount Yoshino


Related articles:https://att-japan.net/en/culture/115/

Address 2498 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara
URL http://www.kinpusen.or.jp/english/

Nakai Shunpudo

After fulfilling our souls, time to fulfill our stomachs! Kudzu confectioneries made from arrowroot starch are a must-try. If you book at Nakai Shunpudo, you can try kuzukiri, sweet noodles that have an expiration date of only 10 minutes. Truly something unique you can also taste if you go to Mount Yoshino.

Kuzukiri with soy bean powder and black sugar syrup

Tasting kuzukiri while enjoying the view from Mount Yoshino

Address 545 Yoshinoyama, Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara
URL http://nakasyun.com/

Fukunishi Washi Honpo

For my final experience during the trip, I visited Fukunishi Washi Honpo, a Japanese paper workshop. Beautifully located along the Yoshino River, the Fukunishi family keeps alive a tradition dating back to the 9th century. If you are not afraid to get your hands wet, you can even give papermaking a try.

Soaking my hands into the water and fiber mixture felt slightly strange but refreshing given the summer heat. Even if it was more difficult than I expected to make even paper sheets, I really enjoyed customizing the paper sheets with small color papers afterwards. Japanese papermaking is really something to try during your stay in Japan! If you wish, you can also purchase different washi papers as a souvenir.

Final step, sorting of the Japanese paper sheets

Address 218-1 Kubogaito, Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara
URL http://fukunishiwashihonpo.com/

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The information herein is as of July 2019
Writer
att.JAPAN編集部
att.JAPAN consists of members in their 20s and 30s, and we are all travel lovers. In addition to information about sightseeing and great dishes all over Japan, we offer a wide range of information about various subjects/topics, such as onsen (hot spring) and ryokan hotels. We introduce lots of information only att.JAPAN can offer, including information about famous sightseeing spots, the latest news about new facilities all over Japan and rare less-known areas in Tokyo, one-day model walking courses, and anime pilgrimages. We also offer contents to introduce Japan from the view of writers from abroad.

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