Mahoroba is an ancient Japanese word describing a far-off land full of bliss and peace. It is roughly comparable to the western concepts of arcadia, a place surrounded by mountains full of harmony and quiet.
Mahoroba is now written only in hiragana as まほろば. The origins of the word are not clear; it is described in a poem in the ancient Kojiki (古事記) as being the perfect place in Yamato:
Poem from the Kojiki
Original Spelling
Japanese
Romanized version
夜麻登波
久爾能麻本呂婆
多多那豆久
阿袁加岐
夜麻碁母禮流
夜麻登志宇流波斯
大和は
国のまほろば
たたなずく
あおかき山ごもれる
やまとしうるわし。
Yamato wa Kuni no mahoroba Tatanazuku Aokaki-yama gomoreru Yamato shi uruwashi.
Note that the Kojiki itself did not use hiragana; the above is a modernized version.
Notes
The Space Battleship Yamato had a sister-ship that was named Chō Jikū Senkan Mahoroba (The Ultimate Time Sweeper Mahoroba)