まほろば Splendid place

Today I am going to introduce a term called まほろば.

It is translated as a "splendid location", "excellent place", a perfect land full of bliss and peace and good to live in.

It's similar to the Western concept of arcadia.

Originally it is used to describe the land of Yamato (present-day Nara basin) in ancient poems, which is thought to be the perfect land.

Today, the JR Man'yo Mahoroba Line (万葉まほろば線) runs across the beautiful Nara Basin. Ancient relics from the Kofun, Asuka and Nara periods scatter across this region. Have fun tracing the roots of Japan and learning its history in Yamato!

View of the Nara Basin from Omiwa Shrine (Sakurai, Nara), March 30

大神神社（奈良県桜井市）から見える奈良盆地

Ryan