One of the ancient capitals, Nara is a famous destination that is sadly often overlooked by tourists as it is so close to other popular cities such as Osaka and Kyoto. However, one of the crowning glories of Nara and indeed the main reason to visit Nara is because of its park. Nara Koen is…

Nara park is a large open space with temples, museums and gardens enough to keep most tourists entertained for several days, especially if you work in a few rounds of feeding the deer. But the biggest attraction of the park is the Todaiji Temple – a complex of several buildings, the most famous of which…

Spring has finally arrived. Did you miss the opportunity to see the plum blossoms this year, just before spring’s arrival? Have you thought about where to have your plum trees viewing in Japan for next year? If you haven’t yet, then I suggest you head to Kansai region which is considered to be the cultural…

If you make a pilgrimage to Nara and find yourself in Nara Koen (the park) there are countless things to see in the extensive grounds. At Kohfukuji there are three golden halls, the Eastern one (Tohkondo) having been rebuilt six times due to destruction by fire. The original building (built in 726) was commissioned by…

The Todaiji Temple complex in Nara Koen encompasses the Great Buddha Hall, the Todaiji Museum, and many other buildings besides. However, rather than the biggest tourist attraction in the area (the great Buddha), it was Hokke-do (the statue hall) which stole my heart and was, in my opinion, the most interesting and unique thing I…

Nara Koen (Nara Park) is famous for several reasons, namely its shika deer and the large Buddha statue which is a prime attraction in the park. But aside from these, and no less worthy of a visit is the Nara National Museum. Viewing this vast collection of Buddhist art is a fitting way to learn…

Shikayose or deer calling is a winter event in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. This event held every morning (except on Monday) during February to mid-March, starting from 1892 until now. Shikayose is also held for a few days during the summer. Author’s photo The Deer in Nara Author’s photo As we know, deer…

NARA PARK Author’s photo This park is located in central Nara, which is established in 1880. There are a lot of attractions around this park, such as Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, and Nara National Museum. In Nara Park, there are about a hundreds of deer. It is also known that Nara is a symbol of 1200 deer…

Nara was the imperial capital of Japan from 710 to 784, the period known as the Nara period. Today, the city of Nara is the capital of Nara Prefecture, which borders directly with Kyoto Prefecture. There are eight sites in the form of temples, shrines and the debris, they are: Todai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine,…