Kyoto / Nara - possible routes

The temple valley around Nara ⇒ 2 - 3 days, 72 km

• Access: Train from Ise or Matsusaka to Hasedera Station (1:30 h)

• Day 1: Hasedera to Asuka (Kashihara) ⇒ 1 day, 40 km
• See Garmin NAR Hasedera - Nara 
• slightly descending then flat
• Attractions
• Region around Asuka and Sakurai
• Hasedera
• Yamanobe no michi
• Accomodation
• Kashihara
• Day 2 - 3: Asuka to Nara ⇒ 1 day, 40 km
• See Garmin NAR Hasedera - Nara 
• mainly flat
• There are also some bicycle routes in the valley leading from Asuka to Nara. I have currently not used them for plotting, but they could be useful:
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/094.pdf
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/093.pdf
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/092.pdf
• http://cycle-guide.panasonic.jp/special/yamahon/99.do
• http://cycle-guide.panasonic.jp/special/yamahon/100.do
• Attractions:
• Asuka region
• Horyu-ji & Chugu-ji Temples (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Hidden Buddha on show 22/Oct - 22/Nov
• Yakushi-ji & Toshodai-ji
• Nara (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Accomodation
• Nara (2 days?)

From Nara to tea plantation and Uji to Kyoto  ⇒ 2 - 3 days, 92 km

• Day 1 - 2: Nara to Uji ⇒ 1 -2 days, 65 km
• See Garmin NAR Nara - Uji - Arashiyama
• in first 20 km from 40 m to 160 m in order to come to the tea plantation
• then descending or flat
• there is a bicycle road from Kizugawa to Arashiyama, however for Uji a detour from the cycle path is needed.
• this cycle road is also described in more detail here: http://cycle-guide.panasonic.jp/special/yamahon/93.do
• Attractions
• Tea plantation tour ⇒ requires reservation
• Uji UNESCO World Heritage
• Ukai (Cormoran fishing) in Uji (until end Sep)
• Accommodation
• Uji or before Uji
• Day 3: Uji to Arashiyama ⇒ 1 day, 30 km
• See Garmin NAR Nara - Uji - Arashiyama
• flat
• there is a bicycle road from Kizugawa to Arashiyama
• Attractions:
• Kyoto & Arashiyama (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Accommodation
• Kyoto / Arashiyama

General cycling information for Nara

• Nara province seems to be interested in attracting cycling tourists. There is a network of well indicated cycling routes. The only thing I have not yet been able to find is a printed version of the maps, here is a pdf which has (I think) all of the different routes: http://nara-cycling.com/map/narakuru/pdf/2015/map.pdf
• Here a screen shot of a part of it, for my use, as sometimes it is hard to open the pdf above on the mobile phone

Notes for Nara & Kyoto

• 7-9/Oct/2017 Shika no tsu no kiri （鹿の角切り）日本語
• 22/Oct Jidai Matsuri Kyoto
• 22/Oct Kurama no hi matsuri Kurama (close to Kyoto)

Other possibilities:

• Alternatively one can ride from Nara (Kizugawa) to Arashiyama along a cycle road. 
• And here is a web page with many cycle routes in and around Kyoto:  http://www.cyclekyoto.com/
• Other attractions in the area: 
• Yoshino & Kinpusenji
• Taimadera Gonennin