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Nara 📜 History 📷 10

Hashihaka Kofun

箸墓古墳

A preserved streetscape or archaeological site you can walk through.

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Best season Year-round; spring and autumn are most comfortable
Time needed 1.5–3 hours
Admission Street free; individual houses roughly ¥200–500 (≈ $1–3)
Opening hours Street open access; buildings typically 9:00–17:00

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.

What this place is

The Hashihaka kofun (箸墓古墳) is a megalithic tomb (kofun) located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan.The Hashihaka kofun is considered to be the first large keyhole-shaped kofun constructed in Japan and is associated with the emergence of the Yamato Kingship.The Imperial Household Agency designates the Hashihaka kofun as the tomb of Princess Yamato Totohi Momoso, the daughter of the legendary Emperor Kōrei.Researchers in 2013 conducted the first-ever on-site survey of the Hashihaka kofun after being granted access by the Imperial Household Agency.The actual burial site is unknown, but the Imperial Household Agency has designated it as the tomb of Oichi no Haka, the seventh Kōrei princess, Princess Yamato Totohi Momoso.Also, since the research of Shinya Kasai, there is a theory that it may be the tomb of Himiko, the queen of Yamatai (Yamataikoku).

Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Why it is worth the trip

  • Buildings and layouts kept as they were, so the scale of an older Japan is still readable on the ground.
  • Interpretation panels and reconstructions that turn foundations and fragments into a story.
  • Working shops, workshops or houses inside the district — this is heritage still in use, not a stage set.

What you can do here

  • Walk the main street end to end, then double back through the side lanes where the crowds thin out.
  • Go inside at least one open house or exhibition hall to see how the interiors were arranged.
  • Try a craft workshop or local speciality made the way it has been for generations.
  • Photograph early morning or late afternoon, when the light is warm and the street is quiet.

Getting there

We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.

Area: Nara

Route on Google Maps

Good to know before you go

  • Many buildings are private homes — stay outside unless entry is clearly signposted.
  • Stone-paved lanes are uneven; comfortable shoes make a big difference.
  • Shops here close early, often around 17:00, even when the street itself stays open.

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