Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest — Attraction in Nara

Here’s our adventure to experience the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. I read somewhere that the trail around the forest is about 10km. And some visitors took up to 4 hrs. (We ended up taking more than 5 - excluding the time we took from Nara station to the start of the trail).

We set off from Nara station. There’s a visitor centre above the station where we picked up a map.

Anyway, once we reached Nara Park, we got lost after walking along what we thought was the way to the start of the trail.

We eventually found an entrance further inwards near Satei Yusui, a restaurant near the Mizuya Shrine. This was the Kasugayama Mountain Trail.

The trail was a pretty straightforward gravel path. It became an upslope climb for most of the way and let us to the top of Mount Kasuga. As we neared the top, we saw a sign to turn left to go to the mountain top, and turn right to continue on the trail.

We were glad to have headed to the mountain top. Apart from satisfying our curiosity of the view from the top, there was a toilet and a car park and some vending machines with cold and hot drinks. Good for a recharge.

From the mountain top, there was an option to head down to Nara Park (nearer). Or to continue one round around the forest before returning to Nara Park (much much longer).

We decided to walk the long way, and realize there was a one-way narrow road for cars to drive into the forest. Although they have to pay a toll charge. On our walk, we didn’t see any cars pass us by.

The trail goes down. Which was a relief as we had been walking up quite a bit before that. After awhile, we saw a sign pointing to a waterfall that was 600m away.

So we decided to go. When we heard no water sounds as we walked lower down the trail, we started dreading the thought of having to walk all the way back up. Thankfully, we found the waterfall and did hear the water sounds as we got nearer. This was the Uguisuno-taki falls.

Thankfully, we did not have to retrace our steps, and followed another trail back to the main route.

Apparently, you can drive to a car park nearby, and walk down to the waterfall. This is along the one-way route for cars into the forest. But this stop is a branch off the main road, which cars then have to get back onto.

With the sun about to set in less than 90 minutes, and us barely at the halfway point, we started to walk faster. Haha.

We eventually reached a security post. There was a trail that turned right just before the post that led down to the Takayama Shrine. We took this route as it looked like the shortest way out from the forest.

Along the way, the path split into one that led downwards to a rest stop. We decided to go with that one. The path was rocky and I think it’s a shorter path that followed along the Noto River, compared to the trail we saw on the map that was more windy.

The trail ended and we exited to a small road that led down to houses along the street. We were back in town just before the sun set!

So here’s our thoughts:

the forest is very nice and majestic. You need to give yourself time to enjoy. Good walking shoes is a must. Limited toilets and rest stops along the trail. There’s probably other trails apart from the one we walked along. We came across people who were either hiking or jogging. Bring water. The walk consist of upslopes and downslopes. We missed some of the sights and shrines cos we were rushing a bit, and also at times feeling lost. Just follow the main route and have your mobile phone with a data plan so you can track where you are...

This forest is part of UNESCO world heritage and it's a beautiful hike. If you're coming from Nara Park, you can enter the trail from just east of the restaurant Mizuya Chaya. Going around the whole forest took us about four hours. It will take you to the Wakakusayama hilltop, the Uguisuno-taki waterfall, and then along the southern edge of the forest.

Some more detail: The full circuit is about four hours trek, mostly gravel path or asphalt, but quite a bit of incline in some places. Going from the trail entry to the hilltop takes about an hour, where you'll want to pause to enjoy the view, then another hour or so to get to the waterfall, and another hour and a half trek to the edge of the forest in the southwest. It's possible to meet cars along the way, but we never did, only two mopeds and two bikes along the full circuit. We met a handful of other hikers as well, mostly Japanese.

It's perfect to spend a morning or afternoon. If it's a hot day, don't be discouraged, as the path is almost completely in shade from the trees and the forest is pleasantly cool even on a hot day.

I recommend taking a lot of water along, as we did not see any water taps along the way. There are two restrooms we went by, one on the hilltop (where there are also vending machines with drinks), and one at the reststop on the southeast edge...

We did the Kasugayama Primeval Forest hike / loop in Nara Park - it was wonderful. Highly recommended.

A moderate hike, with plenty of gentle incline. Quite well signed at each fork in the path. Also impressed by the number of toilet and rest area facilities.

The views from the Wakakusayama Summit over Nara were amazing. The waterfall is a very scenic and worthwhile detour. And the hiking through the primeval Forest was a real pleasure.

It snowed lightly for much of the hike and there was heavy ice in places where there is running water (not on the trail).

It was a highlight of our two night stay in Nara.

13km hiking loop. Plus 2km from Nara to the trail head. Plus 2km from trail exit back to Nara - so wear some suitable gear. Took us around 4hr.

Collect a map from the tourist office near...