The Nara Park

One of the must-visited place in Japan is Nara, the first Japan capital city ( 710 to 784) before Kyoto and Tokyo (CMIIW). The Nara Park (Nara Koen), which I visited last week, is located in the center of the city of Nara, extending about 4 kilometers from east to west, and about 2 kilometers from south to north. Many deer (Japan: shika - 鹿) graze along the spacious lawns and frolic on the grass. Inside the park area are Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga-taisha Shrine and many other historic structures that represent the glory of the city over many centuries. Small streams and ponds add charm to the scenery. The image of great temple roofs and the tips of tall pagodas peeking through the trees will be an unforgettable memory of your journey to Nara. Throughout the year the stream of visitors to Nara is never interrupted.

Todaiji, very beautiful from outside

In 728, the Emperor Shomu, who placed great importance upon Buddhism, founded Todai-ji Temple, now inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. It is a head temple, ruling the other 68 Kokubun-ji temples (branch temples) scattered throughout the country, and it is said that it was called "Himugashi-no-Odera," or "large temple in the east," because it was located to the east of the then-capital, Heijo-kyo.

The major attraction inside the park is Kofuku-ji, a temple built in the early 8th century by the Fujiwara clan, a powerful family of the time. The precincts were expanded as the Fujiwaras became more dominant, and at their peak, it is said to have been 13 times larger than it is today (now 4 square kilometers).

The approximately 50-meter-high five-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji Temple is the second tallest old tower in Japan, after the pagoda of To-ji Temple in Kyoto City.