2 day itinerary Yoshino and the traditional town of Imaicho japan-guide.com

Under an hour by train from the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto, Nara Prefecture was where the early emperors of Japan established their capitals, and can be considered to be where Japanese civilization began. The prefecture contains many of Japan's oldest tombs, shrines, and temples, as well as a number of sacred mountains and their accompanying towns. My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com, and in this video we'll be going on an overnight trip to a sacred mountain, getting a look at a couple of dishes unique to the prefecture, and visiting a historic and quaint merchant town. So follow along as we go on an overnight trip to Mount Yoshino and the traditional town of Imaicho. Day 1 Our trip begins at the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station, where we'll board the Blue Symphony limited express train, which will take us to Yoshino Station. From there, we take the ropeway up to the bus stop to take the bus to the start of our walk in the middle of the mountain. We'll have lunch in a park along the way, before getting to the town center on Mount Yoshino. There, we'll visit a shrine, as well as learn more about the local specialties before ending the day at our accommodation for the night. Operated by Kintetsu Railway, the Blue Symphony limited express train provides a comfortable ride between central Osaka and Mount Yoshino. In addition to enjoying the countryside scenery, passengers can also indulge in local food and drink on board the Blue Symphony, and I ordered a tasty flight of Yoshino Sake to kickstart my trip. Mount Yoshino, or Yoshinoyama, is one of the best places in Japan to see cherry blossoms in spring. It is also a sacred mountain and an important center of mountain worship. A number of walking trails crisscross the mountain and are popularly used during the cherry blossom and autumn color seasons by visitors to see the flora up close. Upon arrival at Yoshino Station, I pick up a sushi bento for lunch later before taking the bus to the start of my walk on the mountain. This walk is relatively easy, taking about two hours at a leisurely pace and can be done by anyone with an average fitness level. I walk from the bus stop down towards the Gorobechaya ruins, where I will stop for a break and lunch. This relatively large park area offers nice views of the small valley below and is a popular spot for visitors to take a breather and enjoy the surrounding scenery. For lunch, I'll be having a kaki no ha sushi bento. Nara is a landlocked prefecture, and before the invention of refrigerators and cooling appliances, fresh fish like salmon and mackerel from the coastal regions were typically cured in salt and then transported inland. In the mountainous region of southern Nara, where Yoshino is located, it was common to use persimmon leaves to wrap these protein-rich preserved fish together with vinaigrette rice to further prolong their shelf life. Each piece of sushi is about one or two bites, and eating kaki no ha sushi is as simple as opening the leaf and eating the sushi inside. Please don't eat the leaf. You can if you want to, but it might leave a bad taste. After lunch, it is time to continue my walk down through the town that stretches along the mountain slope. This town is where Kimpusenji, one of the most important temples in the mountain worship religion, is located, as well as other affiliated temples. And it developed over the centuries, catering to the pilgrims and tourists who visited. I visit Yoshimizu Shrine, which has a celebrated view and an interesting past. Yoshimizu Shrine was originally a highly regarded temple abode for the priests of Kimpusenji Temple. It was converted to a shrine during the Meiji period when Buddhism and Shinto were separated. As a temple, it accommodated several prominent historical figures over the century. The three most important are Minamoto Yoshitsune, who sheltered there in the 12th century after fleeing from his brother. Emperor Godaigo, who used the temple as his palace for some time during the 14th century, when Japan had two rivaling imperial courts. And Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who hosted large-scale cherry blossom viewing parties there in the 16th century. Today, Yoshimizu Shrine is one of the sites in Yoshino that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage. Inside, visitors can see the oldest show-in style architecture, as well as several other treasures relating to the three important figures who stayed there. This view behind me over here is the legendary Hitomi Senbon, which means a thousand trees in one look. Now in spring, the cherry trees that grow on the mountainside turn the entire area pink and it's beautiful. From the shrine, I continue down the town, this time passing more restaurants and souvenir shops. One of the items that catches my eyes is the kuzu ingredient that seems to be available at almost all food shops. The ingredient is used to produce a variety of products and I was curious to see what it was all about. I head to Nakai Shunpudo, a local kuzu specialist and where a demonstration of preparing the ingredients can sometimes be seen from the shop window. Kuzu is Japanese arrowroot, which grows in abundance in Japan. The starchy root is pounded, mixed with water and the mixture then dried, resulting in the fine white powder known as honkuzu. It is said that one kilogram of kuzu root only yields 100 grams of honkuzu powder. This fine white powder can then be combined again with water to create a gelatinous mixture which is then used to make a variety of products like kuzu noodles and kuzu sweets. Or simply mixed with sugar and water to make a viscous drink that is good for health. This is like perfect food to eat when you're sick. My walk through the town ends when I arrive at my accommodation for the night. The only things left to do today are to relax and have dinner before going to bed. I'm just about to have dinner back at my accommodation and we have a wide variety of seasonal vegetables as well as sesame tofu made with kuzu and kuzu noodles in the hot pot. Can't wait to start! Itadakimasu! We take the ropeway down the mountain to Yoshino Station from where we'll take the train to Yamatoyagi Station, transferring once at Kashihara-Jingu-Mae Station. It's about a 10-minute walk from the train station to the town of Imaicho. There, we'll explore the former merchant town, visit a sake brewery and the oldest residence in the town before heading home. After breakfast, I take one of Japan's oldest ropeways which started operations almost a century ago back down to Yoshino Station at the foot of the mountain to catch the train to my next destination. Imaicho has its roots first as a temple town then flourished as a merchant town and many of its inhabitants grew to be wealthy. The historic preserved town contains a mix of residences and a number of historic and cultural properties and the oldest one dates back to the mid-17th century. Some of the buildings have been converted into community spaces and businesses. While some can only be viewed from the outside, a small number can be entered for a fee. As one walks through the narrow streets of Imaicho, it is not difficult to be transported back to the past as the old preserved buildings add to the historic atmosphere. I start my exploration of Imaicho at the Kawaii Residence and Sake Brewery. You can tell this is the sake brewery by the cedar balls that hang outside the house. Now I'm going to go inside and take a look and let's go! The beautifully preserved two-story main building is from the mid-18th century and old sake brewing tools are displayed in the residence. The brewery still remains in operation and visitors can buy sake here. Continuing my tour of Imaicho, I walk down one of the main streets to the Imanishi Residence, which is the oldest preserved building in Imaicho. Constructed in 1650, this large residence allows visitors to see the interior of the wealthy Imanishi family who acted as the town's administrators. The Imanishi family used to be the city's administrators and I'm standing in their family home right now. This huge space that you can see around me was used as a courtroom, a prison and a police station. Lunch is next and I go to a restaurant house in a converted shop house a few doors down. The shop house is traditionally decorated and offers a nice relaxed atmosphere for a meal or a break. I order one of the lunch sets that has soba and kaki no hazushi. After lunch, I check out the rest of the town strolling down the narrow streets and enjoying the atmosphere of being in a quaint town before making my way back to Yamatoyagi Station slowly. And that was our overnight trip to Yoshinoyama in the traditional town of Imaicho. Thanks for joining me. I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires some ideas should you decide to plan an overnight trip in Japan. For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com a comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide first-hand from Japan. Thanks for watching. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan. Happy travels.