Asuka

Asuka served as the political and cultural heart of Japan during the Asuka period (538-710 AD), before the capital was moved first to nearby Fujiwara-kyo and then to Nara. Today this quiet agricultural village in southern Nara Prefecture preserves an extraordinary concentration of ancient sites scattered across its pastoral rice paddies and gentle hills. The Ishibutai Kofun, a massive exposed stone burial chamber believed to be the tomb of the powerful statesman Soga no Umako, is the main attraction, while the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora tombs were painted with rare and vivid murals in the late 7th or early 8th century. The murals have since been removed for conservation (Takamatsuzuka's in 2007, with work at Kitora finished in 2010) and are shown a few times a year. Those three tombs, along with the Asuka Palace Site and the sites of Asuka-dera and Tachibana-dera, are among the 19 parts of the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara that were added to the World Heritage list on 26 July 2026. Mysterious stone carvings dot the landscape, including the turtle-shaped Kameishi and the sake-pressing Sakafuneishi, whose original purposes remain debated by scholars. The entire area is best explored by rental bicycle, allowing visitors to pedal leisurely between sites along quiet country roads with mountain views, experiencing a pace of life that feels remarkably unchanged from centuries past.