Yamato Sanzan Recreation Forest
64.32ha
Elevation Lowest : 65m / Average : 70–199m / Highest : 199m (Mt. Unebi)
Yamato Sanzan, mountains with an air of romance from the Manyoshu
(Japan's oldest existing poetry anthology)
Yamato Sanzan, mountains with an air of romance from the Manyoshu
(Japan's oldest existing poetry anthology)
- Newest information
- Area
- Activities
- Overview
- Latest Information
- Usage Guide
- Facility
- Map
- Address
- Access
(Distances and times are
provided as a guide only) - Management office
contact details - Information on Other Local
Tourist Attractions - Official Tourist Information
- Recreation Forest
Management Committee - Supporters
- Other
- Newest information
- CHECK
Please visit official tourism websites for the latest updates and information.
- Video
- Drone Footage
- Area
- Kinki Chugoku
- Activities
- Flower-viewing (cherry (Prunus)) (Outside the forest) Birdwatching (Includes surrounding area) Picnics (lawn area/park) (Outside the forest) Mountain climbing Bicycle rental (Outside the forest) Botanical garden (Outside the forest) Shrine / Temple visit (Includes surrounding area)
- Overview
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- Geographical/topographical features
- Yamato Sanzan collectively refers to three mountains that rise in the Asuka region at the southern end of the Nara Basin in Nara Prefecture: Mt. Kaguyama (152.4 m) in the east, Mt. Unebi (199.2 m) in the west and Mt. Miminashi (139.7 m) in the north. They are noted for their beautiful shapes. Mt. Unebi and Mt. Miminashi are both volcanic peaks, but Mt. Kaguyama is said to have originally formed part of a ridge extending northwest from Mt. Tono-Mine which eventually gained the shape of a single peak through weathering and erosion.
- Historical/cultural features
- The Yamato Sanzan are regarded as sacred mountains, visited by deities. Shrines have been founded and worshiped at the summits and/or bases of these mountains, including the Amano-Kaguyamajinja Shrine, which appears in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters; an ancient Japanese text) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan; an ancient Japanese text). Unebiyamaguchijinja Shrine and Miminashiyamaguchijinja Shrine are both listed in the Register of Deities (Jinmyocho) in the Engishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era; an ancient Japanese text).
The Yamato Sanzan have also figured prominently in Japanese poetry, including poems included in Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) and Kokinwakashu (a collection of ancient and modern Japanese poetry), two important Japanese poetry anthologies. A long poem in Manyoshu entitled "Fujiwara no Miya no Mii no Uta" implies that Empress Jito chose land protected by the Yamato Sanzan to build "Fujiwara no Miya" (Fujiwara Palace) in 694 in the hope of ensuring its eternal prosperity.
The Fujiwara Palace ruins command a magnificent view of the Yamato Sanzan even today. - Climate, flora and fauna
- Kashihara City has a warm temperate zone climate, with an average temperature of 15.3°C and relatively high average annual rainfall of 1765 mm. Vegetation in the Yamato Sanzan includes Konara (Quercus serrata) and Ryobu (Clethra barbinervis), but it mostly consists of evergreen broad-leaved forests consisting mainly of Arakashi (Japanese blue oak (Quercus acuta)) and Shirakashi (Quercus myrsinaefolia Blume).
- Attractions
- The Yamato Sanzan are easy for beginner-level hikers because their slopes are gentle and the mountain trails are in good condition. Even the steepest ascent, Mt. Unebi, only gains an elevation of about 130 m, making all of the peaks appropriate for hikers of all ages at any time of year. The mountains captivate visitors with their picturesque silhouettes and the varied impressions they give from different angles. A hiking course that takes in the historic sites, shrines and temples at the bases of the Yamato Sanzan is recommended. In this way, visitors can experience the areas that inspired myths and Manyoshu poems and view the three mountains from Fujiwara Palace. Visitors can even rent bicycles and breathe the romantic air of the Yamato Sanzan memorialized in Manyoshu.
(Recommended hiking course)
Yamato-yagi Station (about 2.7 km) → Mt. Miminashi (about 2.0 km) → Fujiwara Palace Ruins (about 2.1 km) → Mt. Kaguyama (about 1.4 km) → Kashihara Insect Museum (about 1.2 km) → Honenji Temple (about 1.4 km) → Ruins of Moto-Yakushiji Temple (about 1.4 km) → Emperor Jimmu Mausoleum(about 1.5 km) → Mt. Unebi (about 0.5 km) → Kashiharajingu Shrine (about 0.8 km) → Kashiharajinja Shrine mae Station (Entire course: about 15.0 km) - Other
- Regarding Mt. Kaguyama, the citation of "Iyo no Kuni Fudoki" (Local Report on Iyo no Kuni [present Ehime Prefecture]) in Shakunihongi (Commentary on Nihon Shoki) describes a legend that the mountain fell to earth falling from the sky. As for Mt. Unebi and Mt. Miminashi, Nihon Shoki includes a passage telling that messengers who came from Silla (a kingdom in ancient Korea) when Emperor Ingyo passed away uttered the words "unemehaya mimihaya" to praise the shapes of the two mountains.
Yamato Sanzan were designated by the national government as a place of scenic beauty on July 14, 2005 (Public Notice of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology No. 102).
- Latest Information
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- Regular events
- Haru-no-Jimmusai (Spring Festival honoring Emperor Jimmu) (early April), Yume-no-Mori Festival (early October)
- Usage Guide
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- Entrance fee
- Free of charge
- Opening seasons and hours
- Accessible 24 hours a day
- Accommodation options
- There are accommodations around Kintetsu Yamato-yagi Station and Kashiraha-jingumae Station in the city.
- Facility
- Toilets and drinking fountains (Outside the forest) : 3 locations Footpath / walking trail / nature trail (Outside the forest) : Mainly 1 course each Parking lot (Outside the forest) : 1 pay parking lot Vending machine (Outside the forest) Shop (Outside the forest) Restaurant (Outside the forest) Free public wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) (Outside the forest) Specimen forest / Botanic garden (Outside the forest) : 1 location adjacent to the forest Resource center / Museum World Heritage Site / Cultural asset (nationally designated) (Includes surrounding area) Accommodation facilities (Hotels/Japanese inns) (Outside the forest)
- Map
- Address
- ・Mt. Kaguyama: Minamiura Town, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture
・Unebiyama National Forest: Unebi Town, Kashihara City and other areas
・Miminariyama National Forest: Kihara Town, Kashihara City
- Access
(Distances and times are provided as a guide only) -
- By public transport
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<Access from nearest railway station / bus stop>
- ・Mt. Kaguyama : About 30 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Osaka Line Miminashi Station (about 2.0 km)
- ・Mt. Unebi : About 8 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Kashihara Line Unebigoryomae (about 0.6 km)
- ・Mt. Miminashi : About 15 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Osaka Line Miminashi Station (about 2.0 km)
<Access from major transport hubs to nearest railway station / bus stop>- ・Mt. Kaguyama / Mt. Miminashi : JR Osaka Station → (JR Osaka Loop Line: about 15 minutes) → JR Tsuruhashi Station → (about 3 minutes on foot) → Kintetsu Tsuruhashi Station → (Kintetsu Osaka Line Suburban Semi-express: about 61 minutes) → Miminashi Station
- ・Mt. Unebi : JR Osaka Station → (JR Osaka Loop Line: about 15 minutes) → JR Tsuruhashi Station → (about 3 minutes on foot) → Kintetsu Tsuruhashi Station(Kintetsu Osaka Line Express: about 31 minutes) → Kintetsu Yamato-yagi Station → (Kintetsu Kashihara Line: about 3 minutes) → Unebigoryomae Station
- By car
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<Access>
- ・Mt. Kaguyama : Minami-Hanna Road → (public road (about 11 km)) → Mt. Kaguyama
- ・Mt. Unebi : Final exit from the Minami-Hanna Road → (public road: about 10 km) → Mt. Unebi
- ・Mt. Miminashi : Final exit from the Minami-Hanna Road → (public road: about 11 km) → Mt. Miminashi
<Car parking capacity / parking charges>・Mt. Kaguyama : Free parking for 5 vehicles at the Mt. Kaguyama Tourist Toilet Parking Lot
・Mt. Unebi : Pay parking for 750 vehicles at the Kashiharajingu Shrine Parking Lot, 500 yen each time
・Mt. Miminashi : Free parking for 36 vehicles at the Miminashiyama Park Parking Lot - Nearby tourist facilities
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- ・Fujiwara Palace Ruins : about 30 minutes on foot
- ・Kashihara Insect Museum : about 20 minutes on foot from Mt. Kaguyama
- ・Ruins of Moto-Yakushiji Temple : about 40 minutes on foot from Mt. Unebi
- ・Emperor Jimmu Mausoleum : about 20 minutes on foot from Mt. Unebi
- ・Kashiharajingu Shrine : about 10 minutes on foot from Mt. Unebi
- ・Imai-cho Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings : about 20 minutes on foot from Mt. Unebi
- Management office contact details
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Nara Forest Administration OfficeTEL:0742-53-1500
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/kinki/nara/index.html
- Information on Other Local Tourist Attractions
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The Takamatsuzuka Tumulus and Ishibutai Tumulus can be accessed from Kintetsu Asuka Station (Asuka Village), two stations south of Kashiraha-jingumae Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line. In addition, the Kitora Tumulus and Takatori Castle can be accessed from Kintetsu Tsubosakayama Station, two stations further south on the same line.
- Official Tourist Information
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Kashihara City Tourism Association [External link]
- Recreation Forest Management Committee
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Yamato Sanzan Recreation Forest Management Committee
Committee Secretariat Green Spaces and Landscape Division, Kashihara Municipal OfficeTEL:0744-47-3516
FAX:0744-24-9715
- Supporters
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- Other
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