Asuka Self-guided Walking Tour, Asuka, Japan

Long before the age of shoguns and samurai, Japan’s first capital was Asuka. Today this sleepy village barely registers among the nation’s more spectacular and high-profile attractions, but look just below the surface and you can find a treasure trove of interesting history mixed in with delightful rural scenery that seems a world away from the bustling city life of modern Japan.

Asuka can be considered to have been the capital of Japan between 538 and 710 AD, a time when the powerful Soga and Fujiwara clans held influence over the imperial throne. Although Asuka was considered to be the capital, traditions at the time meant that the imperial court was moved following the death of each emperor, so there are a plethora of royal buildings from this era dotted around the wider region. This period (known as the Asuka Period) saw the first historically-verifiable Emperors of Japan, the introduction of Buddhism to Japan and the development of the first real centralised state, laying the foundations for the subsequent history of Japan from the classical period through to the modern day. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).