Asuka

We all know that the capital of modern Japan is Tokyo, and that before that it was Kyoto. As soon as one gets interested in Japan, one learns that before that, Nara was the capital.

Yesterday, we found out that there was a capital before that, and this capital is today a small village with 1500 inhabitants.

Asuka, as it is called, is situated a bit more than an hour of Kinshasu rail from Kyoto. The ruins of where Japan organised itself, introduced Buddhism, created its first laws and started to become autonomous from China are spread out in the countryside, so you go from one temple to another on a bicycle. If you get there early enough (which was sadly not our case) you may even be rewarded by renting an electrically assisted bike.

The temple of Asuka-dera contains the oldest statue of Buddha in Japan (dating 609): 15 tons of copper and 30 kilograms of gold. The temple itself was first built in 596. The original temple was damaged, lost and reconstructed.

The cycling brings you through the rice fields (dry at this point). Strange vegetables are being grown and then sold in the local farmer markets. The houses have (all!) beautiful gardens. As it is Sunday, family are flying splendid kites, and tourists (all Japanese) are, like us, finding their way past the testimonials of a long gone past.