The most important thing when you go cycling with your bike in your car may be where to park it.
“Nara Kenko Land” in Nara Prefecture is a recommended spot that has a bike parking and lets you use the parking lot for free. (“Kenko Land” is a kind of Japanese style health spa.)
From there, we rode along the river and visited the rice terraces of Asuka Village.
※This article was originally published on October 22, 2020, and updated in April 2021.
Rice Terraces in Asuka Village
Asuka Village is an area with a long history, which gave its name to the “Asuka” Period (592-710).
It is famous for the many historical sites from the Asuka Period that have been excavated, but did you know that it is also home to beautiful rice terraces?
There are three rice terraces in Asuka Village: Inabuchi, Kamura, and Hosokawa.
Kamura is known for its great view, Hosokawa is the best to enjoy sunset. Inabuchi has a vast rice terraces that has been selected as one of “The Best 100 Rice Terraces in Japan”.
The seasonal nature is also a must-see, and we visited just in time to see the “higanbana”(cluster amaryllis) flowers.
Cycling around Asuka Village
“Nara Kenko Land” – the base for cycling
“Nara Kenko Land” is so famous among Japanese people in the Kansai region, thanks to the local TV commercials that have been aired since the 1980s. It is so famous that it is said that there is no one in Kansai area who does not know about it.
It is a comprehensive leisure facility that includes not only bathing facilities but also accommodation facilities.
What makes this facility great for cyclists is that there is a bike parking in the parking lot. And they let you use the parking lot for free.
The purpose of this facility is to welcome cyclists who visit the area, whether they take a bath or not.
Using this as a base, we rode along the river to the rice terraces of Asuka Village, where the higanbana flowers would be in bloom.
Cycling along the Yamato River to Asuka Village
The Yamato River is a first-class river with a length of 68 km, originating near Kaigahira Mountain in the northeastern part of Sakurai City (Nara Prefecture), and flowing between Osaka City and Sakai City into Osaka Bay.
We went along the Yamato River for about 7km from Nara Kenko Land (Tenri City) to just before JR Miwa Station in Sakurai City. This course is based on the C23 route on the “Narakuru Map”.
There are a number of parks along the river, and the peaceful atmosphere continues.
“Sento-no-michi” (route from Nara to Asuka) to reach Asuka Village
Passing by Kintetsu Miminashi Station, you will gradually go uphill and reach the “Ishibutai-kofun” (Ishibutai Tumulus) in Asuka Village.
As you go further south, the area will change into a typical Japanese landscape. This is the course using C24 and C7 (Sento-no-michi route) on the Narakuru Map.
Arriving at the rice terraces, “Inabuchi” in Asuka Village
It seems that this is the time when the “Higanbana Festival” is normally held, but it was cancelled this year. There was only a long line of traffic cones prohibiting parking.
You can see this kind of scenery about 17km from Nara Kenko Land.
After cycling – Get relaxed in a natural hot spring
It was a cloudy day, and getting dark early, so we headed back to Nara Kenko Land where we started. At the end of the cycling, we went to the natural hot spring to sweat it out and enjoy a delicious meal there.
Asuka Village Cycling Summary
Nara is famous for its temples, shrines, and sightseeing spots in Nara City, but if you go away for a while, you will find a variety of landscapes.
Nara Kenko Land is a very convenient place to enjoy cycling in Nara. It is also close to the Koriyama Interchange on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, so you can enjoy cycling freely from east to west, and south to north from here.
Please take a look at our video as well.
Video: Cycling from Nara Kenko Land to Asuka Town (Yamato-gawa riverfront – Asuka village)
