Asuka was the first capital of Japan during the very earliest part of Japan’s recorded history. It preceeded both Nara and Kyoto, and ended a period during when the seat of government was changed each year. 
Located on th southern edge of the Yamato plain, south of both Nara and Kyoto, Asuka was a period (indeed Asuka has given its name to a 100 year period from the end of the 6th century until 710) when the first Emperors ruled, when the focus of power was shifting from the Yamato clan (who had prevailed over their rivals) to the Imperial system which forms the basis of the Japanese nation. Burial mounds, known as kofun, dot the landscape, dating from the earlier so-called Tumulus period.
At that time, in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, Japan had strong links with Korea and China, and it was from those lands that Buddhism arrived. The aristocracy would have known the Chinese language, and China influenced heavily upon the culture and architecture. Prince Shotoku, who had travelled to China, was instrumental in spreading the ‘new’ religion of Buddhism in Japan, and built some of the first temples here. He was also instrumental in the formation of the Imperial system of government. Buddhism was elevated to be the basis of the social order, and holding the Emperor as the focus of power. The Kansai area, which includes Nara, Asuka and Kyoto, was the cultural centre of Japan, and the east and north of Japan was still a frontier land, wild and untamed.
Asuka is today a rural village, without much tourism, yet it is a very pleasant place to stroll through the rice fields to temples and the burial mounds. Since the village is spread out, hiring a bicycle from the station is a good idea. You will be given a handy map to guide you, and the paths are quiet and mostly car-free. The bicycles are the ‘sit-up-and-beg’ variety, known in Japanese as ‘charinko’, but very adequate for a day of slow-paced cycling.
Throughout the town there are around 20 large stones, variously carved into the shapes of tortoises, monkeys, etc. The origin of these stones is somewhat of a mystery, and they are a popular part of the walking or cycling course. There are also manyoshu poems inscribed on large rocks. My favourite site in Asuka are the terraced rice fields. You will not find rice fields in Nara or Kyoto, and the setting of the rice fields nearby to the temples and the burial mounds makes Asuka a lovely day away from the big city.
You can get to Asuka in about 1.5 hours from Kyoto, or 45 minutes from Nara. Asuka is south of Nara, and can be combined with visits to Mount Koya. There are several small minshuku (guest houses) run by local families, and make a nice contrast to the formal hotels and ryokan of Kyoto and Nara.
We visit Asuka on the Imperial Pilgrimage tour
