Kashihara-jingu was built on the place of the supposed seat of government of Emperor Jinmu from -660 to -585. We are in the city of Kashihara, Nara department and the former province of Yamato. This region was home to the rotating capitals of proto-Japan.

A little further on, after a short 20-minute walk through the park, we arrive in front of the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu. This mausoleum consists of several gates and then a hill where the Emperor rests. The enclosure is therefore protected and we can just stand in front to wish the founder of Japan a good rest.

After visiting Proto-Japan and Meiji at the Kashihara-jingu Shinto Shrine, we can go to the Imai-cho district, a traditional Japanese city, within Kashihara in Nara Prefecture. We get off at Kintetsu Yaginishiguchi Station, we cross the Sobu Bridge and we are there.

Arriving in the neighborhood, we can visit the Hanairaka Information Center, with half-Japanese, half-Western architecture of Meiji, which gives us – as the name suggests – more information about this neighborhood.

The city was founded as a dependency of the Shonen-ji Buddhist temple, a temple itself dependent on the Hongan-ji mother house, between 1532 and 1555 during the time of the warring provinces (1477-1573). The temple still sits in the middle of the neighborhood and we can visit it.

Some houses in the neighbourhood are open-door, including the former Yometani residence, the Imai-Machiya centre and the Kawai residence. We can even go up to the first floor of the Imai-Machiya, and see a room upstairs of a traditional Edo-style house but recently renovated. The experience is rare and very interesting!