Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784 AD. Today it remains one of the main attractions of Kansai besides Kyoto, for its many temples and its deers roaming around the city that you can feed…
One of the main Buddhist temples in Nara is Toshodai-Ji. Completed in 759 AD, it has been designated as world heritage by the UNESCO. The main building is the Golden Hall (Kondo) and this is one of Japan’s National Treasure.
Kofuku-ji is another Buddhist temple. It was one of the Seven Great Temples (Nanto Shichi Daiji) of Nara. The picture on the right is the Five-Storied-Pagoda (Goju-No-To) of the Temple. It’s also a Japanese National Treasure.
All the temples and shrines in Nara are not Buddhist. The Tamukeyama Hachiman Shrine for example is a Shinto shrine. It is dedicated to the Kami Hachiman (The spirit of Hachiman, divinity of archery and war.)
The best part of visiting Nara and probably what makes the city famous for tourists, are the deers roaming around in the parks. You are only allowed to feed them with special biscuits that you can find and buy a bit everywhere around the parks. The deers are very friendly, they are used to the presence of human being. And deers are quite an unusual animal to pet, so it’s a really nice experience!
You can easily visit Nara in one afternoon. There is a lot to see but the city is small, it’s very close to Kyoto, so if you ever pass by Kyoto, don’t forget to jump by Nara, you will not regret it!
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