From our 21-day trip to Japan, Asuka was undoubtedly the place where we connected with ancient Japan. Thanks to Tsuyoshi Shiotsu, from the Mity Global agency, we were able to visit Asuka, a special place where modern Japan was created, with its values ​​of respect and civility that we can experience today.
　Asuka was the capital of Japan between 592 and 710. Tsuyoshi passionately explains to us that this rural environment, off the beaten track, has a lot to tell, and it really does. In a quiet setting in the countryside, among traditional houses and rice fields, we can find Asuka-dera, one of the first temples in Japan, and also countless tombs, “tumuli”, of various Emperors and prominent people of the time. The tombs are made of stones of various tons that are impressive due to their size and their visit is exciting.
　Tsuyoshi took us to the “Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum- Shijinno Yakata”, which houses an impressive collection of murals found in tombs, a testament to the fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Korean cultures. In the museum, Tsuyoshi took us on a walk, exciting our imagination through the myths and ancestral beliefs that founded Japan – simply impressive! As if that were not enough, Asuka has another impressive museum “Complex of Man’yo Culture”.

　It does not just house objects, it is a museum dedicated to preserving the more than 4,500 poems written between 538 and 710 BC (Manyoshu poetic anthology) in the court environment, poems written by peasants, artisans, soldiers, prostitutes, nobles and, probably, even by the Emperors of the time. Japan never disappoints, we had never seen a museum dedicated to poetry. The more than 4,500 poems that the museum treasures are the legacy to understand ancient Japan, its society and its values.
　Mity Global is not just any travel agency, it is based on the love of that ancient Japan that perfectly explains the Japanese character of today. Asuka is an essential visit that we have enjoyed enormously, it is very accessible from Osaka, Kyoto or Nara. It is very worthwhile!
Thank you, Tsuyoshi for your dedication and thank you to Mity Global for showing us the soul of Japan. We have felt special. We will return.

Gerard, Neli, Nina, Xavi, Irene and Noemí
from Barcelona, Spain