Tenri Station Area Course

Course Overview

Beginning from JR and Kintetsu Tenri Stations, the first stop on the Tenri Station Area Course is CoFuFun, the open space in front of the stations. With round white structures inspired by the over 1,600 kofun tombs in Tenri City, CoFuFun features a playground for every generation, an outdoor stage, a café, and spaces to sit and relax.
Our next stop is Oyasato Oji Street, which features golden gingko leaves in autumn, and cherry blossoms along the river below in spring. The street leads us to Tenri University’s Tenri Sankokan Museum. Located in an Oyasato Yakata style building, the museum uses the approximately 3,000 items of its Permanent Exhibition, as well as its Feature Exhibitions, to take us to different regions and periods of time all around the world.
South of the museum and within the Tenri University Somanouchi Campus is the Tenri Central Library. As the earliest modern library in Japan, the architecture has remained unchanged since first constructed, and has only grown more beautiful over time. We continue south the Nishiyama Kofun tomb. A uniquely-shaped 4th century tomb, we can usually climb to the top of the tomb’s mound after the grass is cut in late winter.
The next stop is the Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex. A first of its kind facility, you can witness the restoration of precious cultural properties, enjoy specialty local goods and foods, and see contemporary works of art inspired by Nara. There is a restaurant here, or you can also bring your own lunch and eat in a space on the 2nd floor above the market.
On the south side of the Culture Complex is Ikusaka Pond, famous for its great cherry blossom tree. After passing the pond, we head east up a hill for a few hundred kilometers to the oldest path in Japan, the Yamanobe-no-Michi path.
We turn left onto the path, and continue north until we reach the Ruins of Uchiyama Eikyu-ji temple. Though all that remains of the famous temple is its pond, it is surrounded by many cherry blossoms that bloom beautifully every spring. Heading less than a kilometer north from there, we soon arrive at one of Japan’s oldest shrines. Located in a lush sacred forest where nature and belief live in harmony, Isonokami Jingu shrine is thought to go back at least 2,000 years, to a time when one of the most powerful clans of Japan stored swords and weapons here and performed rituals.
From the shrine, we head west to the center of the Tenrikyo religion, the Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. With a sacred inner sanctuary surrounded by worship halls on four sides, the buildings and grounds are overwhelming in size and have a calm beauty.
Just west of the grounds is the arcade of a shopping street, the Tenri Main Street. About one kilometer long, the street was once part of the main approach to Isonokami Jingu shrine, and there are still some shops that have been here for over 100 years, since a time when the town was developing. With restaurants, daily necessities, and souvenirs, the Tenri Main Street is a place we can catch a glimpse of daily life in Tenri City. The street leads us back to JR and Kintetsu Tenri Stations, so it is a great place to find something nice on your way home.

Course Map

Spots on this course

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  Yamanobe-no-Michi Path
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  Isonokami Jingu Shrine
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  Tenrikyo Church Headquarters
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  Nara Prefecture Historical and Artistic Culture Complex
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  CoFuFun
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  Streets of Gingko Trees
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  Tenri University’s Tenri Central Library
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  Tenri University Sankokan Museum
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  Uchiyama Eikyu-ji Temple Ruins
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  Nishiyama Kofun Tomb
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  Furu Matsuri Festival