is a mountain on the border of

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayam ...

and Osaka Prefecture in Japan. It is the highest peak in the Ikoma Mountains with a height of 642 meters. Mount Ikoma is a part of

Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Nara, Ōsaka, and Wakayama Prefectures, Japan. It was established in 1958. Places of interest * Mount Ikoma, Mount Kongō, , , Hōzan-ji, Taima-dera, , the burial place of Shōtoku Taishi, the ruins of , Chihay ...

. It is one of the most famous picnic spots in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

. On the top of the mountain, there are many

TV tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...

s for

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...

to the Kansai region and Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park. Cherry trees on Mount Ikoma

History

Mount Ikoma was an important object of worship for

ancient Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new invent ...

ese people. On the east foot of the mountain,

Ikoma Jinja is a Shinto shrine in Ikoma, Nara, Japan. Generally called . The formal name of the shrine is "". This shrine is also known as "Ikoma-Taisha", which means "great shrine of Ikoma". History According to the ''Sokoku-Fudoki'', an ancient record of ...

(literally 'Shrine for Mount Ikoma') has been extant since the 5th century. The mountain and the Hozan-ji temple near the summit were traditionally celebrated as national scenery and included in well-known woodblock series such as the "Sixty-eight National Views." After the Second World War, the west foot of the mountain started to host religious institutions serving the spiritual needs of Korean immigrants and residents of Korean descent, mostly women.Mai Takano
Korean residents find peace of mind at Mount Ikoma temples
''Japan Times'' Nov. 16, 2012. The city itself was transformed by the Kintetsu train tunnel. Pilgrims and visitors to the temple grew, as well as tourist-related inns and eating establishments. After the Pacific War, the area below the temple developed into an active red-light and entertainment district. The local geisha prospered. Ikoma today retains a bit of the old atmosphere with its winding, narrow streets. Ikoma nurtured lively traditional Japanese arts such as dance and varieties of Japanese music. The walk down from the mountain temple to the town is a noted area for cherry blossoms, as is the mountain itself with its Ikoma Skyline Drive developed by Kintetsu Corporation.

Geography

Climate

Mount Ikoma has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mount Ikoma is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Access

Ikoma Sanjo Station Ikoma may refer to: * Mount Ikoma in Nara Prefecture, Japan * Ikoma (ethnic group) an ethnic group of Tanzania * Ikoma, Nara, a city in Nara Prefecture, Japan * Ikoma Station Ikoma Station (生駒駅) is a railway station in Ikoma, Nara Prefec ...

Ikoma Cable Line The , referred to as , is a cable railway line owned and operated by the Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese major private railway. The line connects Toriimae to Ikomasanjo, all of which are within Ikoma, Nara, Japan. Basic data *Lines and distance ...

References

External links

*
Ministry of the Environment of Japan

Official website of the Geographical Survey Institute in Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikomayama Mountains of Nara Prefecture Mountains of Osaka Prefecture