The other day we hiked back home to Osaka over Mt. Ikoma from the house we're building in the countryside of Nara. We hiked along the Kuragari-touge road (暗峠), a low pass in the mountain (about 1500 feet). This road was built in about the 8th century and some parts of the road still contain the original stones today. In olden times, the road was a tollway filled with traders going to and from Osaka and pilgrims hiking long distances to visit shrines, including the famous Ise Shrine (伊勢神宮) which is quite far indeed from Osaka. The road is very quiet today and used only by locals and some tourist; you sort of can feel the sprits of the perhaps millions of people who took this road over the past 1200 years. Certainly emperors, shogun, and other famous people throughout history took this road. Here are a few snaps.

Snapped from the Kuragari-toge road. Water wheel and old rice paddies not being used (mixed in with others that are still being used).

Scarecrow guards a vegetable garden (not shown). Note water wheel and unused rice terrace in background.

Another pic from the road -- rice in foreground. Rice terrace in background.

Right at the Osaka/Nara border the road is essentially just as it was 1200 or 1000 years ago and there is a nice little place to rest and have some tea on the left. Note the boy on his bike at the border sign. He is calling his friends (who are far behind him pushing their own bikes up the steep hill) saying "I made it! I made! I'm at the border! Come on, hurry up!"

Rice fields to the left, my wife hiking down road on right. Road is original but here the pavement is not.

Walking down the Osaka side, we stumble upon a sleepy temple nestled in the mountainside.

Walking down the Osaka side we are back to the modern big city after just coming from what seemed like a different time back up the mountain.