Tenkawa

The village of Tenkawa is about a one-hour bus ride into the bosom of Mt. Yoshino-yama in the center of Nara, which is known for its cherry blossoms. It is at the heart of the Nara Prefecture side of the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range," which is registered as a World Heritage. Tenkawa is located at the foot of Mt. Omine-san, one of the homes of the ancient Japanese mountain religion, 'Shugendo,' and it attracts throngs of ascetic practitioners in summer.

As Mt. Omine-san is still regarded as a place for rigid ascetic training, the stone marker at the foot of the mountain warns that females are not allowed beyond that point. The training entails climbing the steep mountain path up to Kumano while praying to the gods and lasts for one week each summer. Ryusen-ji Temple is the starting place to climb Mt. Omine-san. Nearby Dorogawa- onsen Hot Spring attracts tourists and ascetic practitioners alike.

Tenkawa-mura Village is particularly known for its water, which says a lot, considering the abundance of water in Japan. The area contains a cluster of Dorogawa springs known as "gorogoro water," which literally means "rumbling water." Through the village flows the scenic Ten-no-kawa (Milky Way) mountain stream, from which the village gets its name. Nearby is Tenkawa Dai-Benzaiten Shrine, which enshrines Benzaiten, the God of water.

Benzaiten became famous as the Goddess of art when the Hindu Goddess Sarasvat was introduced to ancient Japan from India. Every year, tourists flock to Tenkawa Dai-Benzaiten Shrine, one of Japan's three largest Benzaiten shrines, to see various performing arts such as Noh drama dedicated to the shrine.

Blessed with a scenic natural landscape, delicious water, and sacred historic sites, the area has become popular among young people as spot for spiritual moorings.