Nara

Geography

The town of Nara is held in the extreme north of the prefecture of Nara. Nara measures 22,2 km of north in the south and 33,5 km of the east in the west.

The highest point of the city is Kaigahira-yama, a hill culminating with 822 meters of altitude.

Climate

Demography

In 2005, the city had a population of 373.189 inhabitants and a population density of 1348 hab/km ². It y' took place 147.966 of dwellings in the city. The strongest concentration in dwellings and a population is along the Kintetsu line which connects Nara to Osaka. There were 3000 foreigners in the city; the Chinese (1200 residents) and the Koreans (800 residents) are the two groups most represented.

The city shelters in its parks 1200 Sika stags.

History

Nara was during the 8th century the capital of the Japan, under the name of Heijō-kyō, since its foundation in 710 (at the time of the access to the throne of the Genmei empress), until in 784, i.e. lasting time of Nara.

It represented the first true fixed capital of the country. Before 710, the capitals moved kingdom in kingdom. Indeed, according to the old designs of the Shintoïsme, death constituted the most serious impurity. When it was about dead of the sovereign , then the impurity struck the capital; it was thus necessary to destroy the palates and to rebuild them elsewhere. At the beginning of VIIIe century, one understood that it was necessary to create a more durable center for the government and the administration of the State.

According to its original plan, the city measured 2 km out of 4,3 km. A very broad avenue divided the agglomeration in two and carried out straight to the imperial palaces. This plan seems to be inspired among that of the town of Xi' year, the Chinese capital of the time. The town of Nara would also have been designed by immigrants of the kingdom of Paekche.

On the right and on the left, of the palates were to appear two Buddhist temples large-sized: the Tōdai-ji and the Saidai-ji (the “large temple of Raising and the large temple of Setting”). One built in fact only Tôdai-ji, which, several times rebuilt and of more reduced size, exists still today in the middle of the Park of Nara.

After the end of the time of Nara, the city was famous Nanto and lost of its importance. It had to undergo many destruction during the various civil wars, and was set fire to by the Taira in 1180 at the end of the Siège of Nara, during the Guerre of Gempei.

Inheritance

It should be noted that the Historic buildings of old Nara were registered with the world heritage of UNESCO in 1998. Because of its many temples and buildings, Nara is a major tourist destination. Many a stags sikas wanders in freedom in the city by begging food with the tourists, in particular in the park of Nara, in the middle of the city. This park, which exists since 1880, extends on 502 hectares.

Nara shelters the second hotel of the Western style oldest of Japan. Nara Hotel, built of wood and opened in 1909, accommodates the family members imperial when they come in Nara.Le museum from Nara presents a permanent collection of old art Japanese and Chinese, as well as temporary collections presenting of the Japanese traditional ceremonies.

important Places :

Buddhist Temples

Sanctuaries shinto

Kasuga

Others

Palate Heijō
Kasugayama
Naramachi
Park of Nara
Lake Sarusawa
Wakakusa-yama
Yagyū

Twinnings

External bonds

Official site of tourist Nara
Official site of Nara
Nara on Wikitravel

Random links:

Dam Bayındır | Mario Benzing | Government Pierre Laval (2) | Pavel Hamet | Chamber of commerce and of industry of the Vendée