Hashimoto-Cho City, where the Hashimoto Shopping Street is located, is at the intersection of the Higashimukai Shoppping Streets and Mochii-Dono Shopping Streets and is the busiest part of the city.
Hashimoto-Cho City is still the entrance to Kofuku-ji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine and the end of Sanjo-Dori Street of the 1.2-km long Hashimoto Shopping Streets that is straight connected to JR Nara Station, but it also played a role as an important base for "Ise Pilgrims" in the past.
Therefore, it is also where the Nara Mileage Signpost Legacy was built as a starting point to indicate the distance from Nara to Kyoto, Osaka, and Ise.
It is also Bulletin Board Legacy where the Nara Magistrate's proclamation was erected, and these restorations have become a symbol of Hashimoto Shopping Streets.
Interview
Deers stroll and you hear the sound of the bell of Kofukuji Temple.
Our Shopping Streets is full of vitality with a long history.
In Hashimoto-Cho, Nara, where the Hashimoto Shopping Streets is located, the Bulletin Board Legacy, the largest in Nara, was restored, containing the Nara Magistrate's notices from the Edo period (1603-1867). In addition, the Mileage Signpost Legacy, which indicates the center of Nara Prefecture, was restored according to a notice from the new Meiji government.
Therefore, Hashimoto-Cho is also called "Nara's navel," and along with numerous surrounding historical tourist spots, the town attracts many tourists and locals.
Here are the voices from the Shopping Streets about the attractiveness of the Hashimoto Shopping Streets.
“Hashimoto Shopping Strrets is a collection of unique local stores. It is located on the approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine and is close to Kofukuji Temple, Nara Park, and Naramachi, which represent the ancient capital of Nara.
Sometimes deer in Nara Park also stroll through the shopping street. Come and enjoy this atmosphere and the sound of the bell of Kofukuji Temple."
―Kanetomo Aoki from Itotemari (Pictured above), chairman of the Hashimoto Shopping Streets
Hashimoto Shopping Streets is a shopping district with a long history of prosperity as the center of Nara since the 17th century, when commerce and industry flourished.
It is a mixture of long-established stores and new stores and hotels, fun to walk through, and lively with the sound of rice cake pounding.
It is close to Kintetsu Nara Station and JR Nara Station, adjacent to the famous tourist spot Nara Park, and the gateway to Naramachi.
―Takekazu Fujibayashi from DRINK DRANK
You will want to visit us again and again. If you haven't already, we'd love to see you on your next trip!