Nara - The ancient capital of Japan
A small city with unforgettable sights
(photos of 2009)
To view in full-screen mode: press F11 (press again for normal mode).
To return from a link in Internet Explorer:
point at top edge and close window or tab.
To return from a link in Mozilla Firefox, etc:
point at top edge and press back-arrow.
Return to Table of Contents
Nara's temples, parks and quiet streets make it a favorite destination in Japan.
Nara
(map,
Wikipedia)
is a relatively small city of less than 400,000 inhabitants,
in which it is easy to visit on foot a multitude of rewarding sights.
It leaves the visitor an impression of unhurried life, especially
welcome after experiencing the hectic and overcrowded big cities of Japan.
That said, some of the most famous sights in Nara can also become very busy!
Descending from Mount Wakakusa
Mount Wakakusa (Wakakusa-yama)
(map),
about 340 meters high, provides an excellent overview of
Nara and its valley, as seen in the panorama shown below.
The center of Nara lies near the middle of the view.
Invisible behind the hills on the distant side of Nara is the giant city of Osaka,
while Kyoto appears at far right, both cities being only about 30 km away.
From Mount Wakakusa an easy walk (seen in the above panorama) leads down to Nigatsu-do Hall
(map),
which provides the next panoramic view over a group of temples,
besides offering its own charms.
Todai-ji Temple
No doubt the greatest attraction in Nara is famed Todai-ji Temple
and especially its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den Hall,
Wikipedia,
map), shown next.
The second panorama below spans 360 degrees and
covers the entire courtyard in front of the Great Buddha Hall.
The last view shows the Nandaimon Gate,
one of the access gates to the Todai-ji Temple complex.
Nara's parks
Large parks surround many of Nara's famous temples.
Countless tame deer roam these green expanses.
The next panorama shows, from the left, Nandaimon Gate and Todai-ji Temple,
while Mount Wakakusa dominates at right.
More temples
Nara abounds in temples, large and small, scattered about town.
The next pair of photos shows Kofuku-ji Temple with its 5-storeyed pagoda
(map,
Wikipedia).
The red gate (torii) in the next picture invites a visit of colorful Tokuyugi Temple.
Next comes Kasuga Taisha Shrine
(map,
Wikipedia).
The following panorama shows the courtyard of a quiet little temple
tucked away behind houses in a small street
(map).
Streets
Nara's central shopping district is comfortably small and quiet, as seen in
the next view of a covered pedestrian shopping street (common in Japanese cities).
This view is followed by an older shopping street.
A residential street is shown next, with a variety of houses in classic and modern styles.
Here is a final street scene with a couple of fancier stores.
Return to Table of Contents
© Copyright 2009 Michel Van Hove
