Nara, Nara

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is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. Seven temples, shrines and ruins in Nara, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji and Heijo Palace Remains, collectively form "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Contents

1 History
2 Wildlife in Nara
3 Demographics
4 Sister cities
5 Famous places
6 Trivia
7 Education
8 Note
9 See also
10 External links

History

See Heijo Palace and Nara period for ancient history.

Nara was the capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 784. The city was modelled after the capital of Tang Dynasty China, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). The capital was then relocated to Nagaoka-kyō in Yamashiro Province, before being moved to Heian-kyō in 794, the start of the Heian Period. About origin of the city name "Nara", according to the ancient Japanese book ' Nihon Shoki ', it came from a Japanese word ' narashita ' which means 'made flat'. In the modern age, as the seat of the prefectural government, Nara has developed into a local center of commerce and government. The city was officially incorporated on February 1, 1898.

Wildlife in Nara

Deer roaming in central Nara. The beautiful trees in autumn are Sapium sebiferum

Nara is famous for its tame deer that roam all over the town, and especially in the park areas. Snack vendors sell small circular biscuits to visitors so they can enjoy feeding the deer. The deer are often a bit overly familiar and cheeky if they see you have biscuits, and can nudge, jostle, and even bite for attention to be fed; be warned if you have small children because they might be a bit scared if a group of deer start crowding you for food.

Deer near construction site in Nara with pagoda in background.

Demographics

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 364,869 and the density of 1,724.33 persons per km². The total area is 211.60 km².

Tōdai-ji, location of the Great Buddha of Nara

Sister cities

Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Silla in the southeast of Korea.
Xi'an, the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty in China.
Toledo, the medieval capital of Spain
Versailles, the famous early-modern French palace site near Paris, France.
Canberra, the capital of Australia

Famous places

Kōfuku-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in the center of Nara

A deer resting near an engraved stone.

Because of its many temples and shrines, Nara is a famous tourist destination. Mythologically speaking, it is said that when the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, descended from heaven, he rode a deer and arrived in Nara. The sacred deer that wander Nara are said to be its descendants. Around temples and shrines, sacred deer wander around the streets and request food from tourists (deer food is sold on the premises).

Trivia

There is a theory that an ancient variant word for Nara, naraku (寧樂 / 寧楽), is related to the Korean word nara for "country". [link].

Buddhist temples
* Tōdai-ji, including Nigatsu-dō
* Saidai-ji
* Kōfuku-ji
* Gangō-ji
* Yakushi-ji
* Tōshōdai-ji
Shinto shrines
* Kasuga Shrine
Imperial palace
* Heijo Palace
Other
* Nara-machi
* Nara Park
* Sarusawa Pond
* Wakakusa-yama

Education

Schools in Nara include the Todaiji Gakuen, founded by the temple in 1926.

Note

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[Special]

#redirect [[Template:Wikitravel]]
[City of Nara] - Official website (Japanese, English Page link exist)
[Nara Travel Guide] - Japanese Lifestyle
[Nara photos at PHOTOGUIDE.JP]
[Nara photos at Trekearth.com]

World Heritage Sites in Japan

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