Vicinity of Jepara: The birthplace of Kartini is in Mayong, 25 km south of Jepara on the way to Kudus; the house is only 50 m from the highway. Kartini wrote the most important Indonesian literary work of this century- written in Dutch. She died in childbirth at age 24. Pilgrimmages are still made to her grave near Rembang. At Mantingan, near Jepara, there are remains of an old mosque and cemetery with reliefs on tombstones. Examine reliefs on the tomb of Ratu Kalinjamat, by dokar Rp500 up and down hills about 4 km from town.

She was a warrior-queen of Jepara who attacked the Portugese fortress in Melaka twice in the 16th Century. What appears as leaf decorations close up, when viewed from a distance you can make out a figure of a monkey. Although Islamic religious laws forbade representing living creatures, the desire to draw people and animals was so great that the sculptors composed them of leaves and flowers. Three km from Jepara is Pantai Jepara, or Pantai Kartini, for swimming. Bangsri is known for its Javanese women 'of beautiful profile'.