Best around Nara, Ikoma, Tenri Spot List

Guesthouse Kaede Annex, a property with free bikes, is situated in Nara, 21 km from Higashiosaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium, 22 km from Nippon Christ Kyodan Shijonawate Church, as well as 22 km from Shijonawate City Museum of History and Folklore. The air-conditioned accommodation is less than 1 km from Nara Station, and guests can benefit from on-site private parking and complimentary WiFi. The property is non-smoking and is set 18 km from Iwafune Shrine. The villa is located on the ground floor and comes with 3 bedrooms, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a fully equipped kitchen that provides guests with a dishwasher, a microwave, a washing machine, a toaster and a fridge. The unit at the property features a bidet and a dressing room. The villa offers bed linen, towels and laundry service. For guests with children, the villa offers a baby safety gate. Aeon Mall Shijonawate is 24 km from Guesthouse Kaede Annex, while Suehiro Park is 26 km away. Itami Airport is 53 km from the property.

During the Nara Period, the guardian deity of the hiike (pond where ice used in the Imperial court was made) and the himuro (storeroom for ice), which were built in the Kasugano field beside Yoshiki-gawa River, was enshrined in the shrine. It was later moved to the current location. On May 1 every year, a festival called Kenpyosai takes place in which workers at companies that make and sell ice pray for success in business. The current shrine pavilion is said to have been reconstructed in the Edo Period. Also, the weeping cherry trees in the shrine grounds are very beautiful.

Located just north of Hokke-do in the Todai-ji Temple complex, Nigatsu-do is known as a place where Shuni-e (Omizu-tori or Sacred Water-drawing Festival) takes place every March. Nigatsu-do was named so since Shuni-e was held in February (nigatsu in Japanese) in the old calendar. Fire destroyed it in 1667, but two years later the current building was reconstructed exactly as it was before the fire. The building's design features a cascading style of architecture, and provides a commanding view of the roof of the Great Buddha Hall and Nara city. The principal image is the Juichimen Kannon, which is never shown to the public.

This is a Japanese restaurant in a hotel, where a talented master chef prepares the dishes. If you visit the restaurant for lunch, be sure to try the Yamato nabe gozen (2,400 JPY) that's served in a small pot for one person. The Yamato nikudori (chicken) and Yamato imo (Japanese slimy potato) fried dumplings are stewed in the soup made of chicken stock with soy milk and cow's milk, providing the delicious, mild taste that will keep you coming back for more.