Nara

Things to do here

• Nara (city)

  Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [naꜜ.ɾa, na.ɾaꜜ.ɕi] ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 784 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Nagaoka-kyō, except for the years 740 to 745, when the capital was placed in Kuni-kyō, Naniwa-kyō and Shigaraki Palace. Nara is home to eight major historic temples, shrines, and heritage sites, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Kyūseki Teien

  The Kyūseki Teien, also known as the Heijō-kyō Sakyo Sanjo Nibo Palace Garden (平城京左京三条二坊宮跡庭園, Heijō-kyō Sakyo Sanjo Nibo Miya Atoteien) is a Japanese garden dating to the Nara period, located in Nara, Nara, western Japan. The garden and pavilions date to the same period of the Heijō Palace. The remains were excavated in the 1970s and restored.

• Mount Miminashi

• Siege of Nara

  The siege of Nara (南都焼討, Nantō Yakiuchi) alternatively known as the Nanto Arson Campaign in Japan is an event which took place on January 15, 1181 (December 28, 1180 in the Jishō calendar), following Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa's defeat and subsequent death to the Taira clan, after which the Taira forces burnt down the Miidera temple (which had sheltered the anti-Taira forces), before moving on to Nara, where they "set fire to the monastic complexes of Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji."

• Shin-Ōmiya Station

  Shin-Ōmiya Station (新大宮駅, Shin-Ōmiya-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the private transportation company, Kintetsu Railway.

• Hokke-ji

  Hokke-ji (法華寺, Hokke-ji) is a Buddhist temple located in the Hokkeji neighborhood of the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Kōmyō sect (光明宗), named after the temple's founder, Empress Kōmyō. The honzon of the temple is a Heian period standing statue of Jūichimen Kannon, which is a designated National Treasure.

• Heijō Palace

  Heijō Palace (平城宮, Heijō-kyū) was the imperial residence in the Japanese capital city Heijō-kyō (today's Nara), during most of the Nara period. The palace, which served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Nara period from 710 to 794 AD, was located at the north-central location of the city in accordance with the Chinese models used for the design of the capital. The palace consisted of a daidairi (大内裏; also pronounced taidairi), a large rectangular walled enclosure which contained several ceremonial and administrative buildings, including the government ministries. Inside this enclosure was the separately walled residential compound of the emperor or the Inner Palace. In addition to the emperor's living quarters, the Inner Palace contained the residences of the imperial consorts as well as certain official and ceremonial buildings more closely linked to the person of the emperor. The original role of the palace was to manifest the centralised government model adopted by Japan from China in the 7th century—the Daijō-kan and its subsidiary Eight Ministries. The palace was designed to provide an appropriate setting for the emperor's residence, the conduct of state affairs, and associated ceremonial functions. After the capital was moved to Heian, the palace structures were either moved there or suffered several fires and other disasters and disappeared. The site was converted to agricultural use, and almost no trace of it remained; the location was still known, however. Excavations started in the 1970s, and large-scale reconstruction based on contemporary literary sources and excavations started in the 2000s. The excavated remains of the palace and the surrounding area were established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 along with a number of other buildings in the area, identified collectively as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara."

• Heijō-kyō

  Heijō-kyō (平城京; also Heizei-kyō, sometimes Nara no miyako) was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara). Empress Genmei ordered the Imperial capital moved from Fujiwara-kyō to Heijō-kyō in 708, and the move to Heijō-kyō was complete in 710. Heijō-kyō was modeled after Chang'an, the capital of Tang-dynasty China, although Heijō-kyō lacked walls. In the city, merchants and traders from China, Korea, and India introduced various foreign cultures to Heijō-kyō through the Silk Road. As a result, Heijō-kyō flourished as Japan's first international and political capital, with a peak population of between 50,000 and 100,000. The overall form of the city was an irregular rectangle, and the area of the city was more than 25 km2.

• Nara Centennial Hall

  Nara Centennial Hall (なら100年会館, Nara Hyakunen Kaikan) is a multi-use complex in Nara, Japan. It opened in 1999 as part of the centennial celebrations of the municipality of Nara. There is a large hall that seats up to 1720, a smaller concert hall with a capacity of 446, and a gallery. Arata Isozaki was the architect, with acoustical design by Nagata Acoustics.