Nara is an ancient capital city located in the west of Japan surrounded by Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture. It is accessible from Osaka by train, it takes 40 minutes to 1 hour and there are many attractive places. In this article, I will introduce the sights of Nara and some of its World Heritage.

Nara was a capital of Japan for a long time until it was transferred to Kyoto in 794. An International-rich culture was born in Nara due to it being the end point of the Silk Road, and numerous precious buildings were built there. There are eight national architectural treasures in Nara. Also, the area is rich in nature.

Toh-dai-ji is a Buddhist temple which was built by Emperor Shomu in 728. It is famous for the Great Buddha. Japanese call the Buddha “Daibutsu”. Toh-dai-ji is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.

They started building this Kasuga Taisha Shrine(春日大社)  in 710 and it is said that it became the shape of the present shrine in 768. The purpose of Kasuga Taisha Shrine was built to protect Heijo Kyo and to worship Mr. Fujiwara’s Shrine. Heijo Kyo is the name of the city of that era. After that, the shrine split off, now it is divided into more than 1000 branches, and it is believed in various places.

It is the original Buddhist temple of the religion: Houso-Shu. It consists of several parts including halls, three and five-storied, pagodas.

Nara Park spans a vast area of 660 hectares and includes Todaiji, Kofukuji and Kasuga Taisha which are the historical cultural heritage sites listed above. Deer can be found wondering the area and guests are welcome to feed deer.