Nara, Nara

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**Nara City**
**奈良市**
Nara City's location in Nara Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Nara Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	276.84 km²
Population (as of December 31, 2006)
Total	373,189
Density	1345.32/km²
Location	34°41′″N, 135°48′″E
Symbols
Tree	Quercus gilva
Flower	Nara yae zakura
Bird	Japanese Bush Warbler
Nara City City Hall
Mayor	Akira Fujiwara
Address	〒630-8580 Nara-shi, 1-1-1 Nijo-oji
Phone number	0742-34-1111
Official website: Nara City

Coordinates: 34°41′″N, 135°48′″E

Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi^?) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering itself to Kyoto Prefecture. Seven temples, shrines and ruins in Nara, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji and Heijō Palace Remains, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1 History
2 Demographics
3 Famous places
4 Wildlife in Nara
5 Education
6 Sister cities
7 Gallery
8 References
9 Miscellany
10 External links

[edit] History

See also: Heijo Palace and Nara period

Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, giving its name to Nara period. The original city, Heijō-kyō, was modelled after the capital of Tang Dynasty China, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). According to the ancient Japanese book Nihon Shoki, the name "Nara" derived from the Japanese word narashita meaning "made flat".^[1]^[2]

The capital was relocated to Nagaoka-kyō in the Yamashiro Province in 784, then moved to Heian-kyō in 794, the start of the Heian Period. The temples remained powerful beyond the move of political capital, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto (meaning "South Capital") as opposed to Heian-kyō, situated in the North.

In the modern age, as the seat of the prefectural government, Nara has developed into a local center of commerce and government. The city was officially incorporated on February 1, 1898.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 373,189 and the density of 1,384 persons per km². The total area is 276.84 km².

[edit] Famous places

Because of its many temples and shrines, Nara is a famous tourist destination. It is said that when the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, descended from heaven, he rode a deer and arrived in Nara, and that the sacred deer that wander Nara are its descendants.

Buddhist temples
- Tōdai-ji, including Nigatsu-dō
- Saidai-ji
- Kōfuku-ji
- Gangō-ji
- Yakushi-ji
- Tōshōdai-ji
Shinto shrines
- Kasuga Shrine

Imperial palace
- Heijō Palace
Other
- Kasugayama Primeval Forest
- Naramachi
- Nara Park
- Sarusawa Pond
- Wakakusa-yama
- Yagyū

[edit] Wildlife in Nara

Nara is famous for the tame deer that roam all over the town, and especially in Nara Park. Snack vendors sell small biscuits to visitors so they can enjoy feeding the deer. The deer have learned to bow in response to tourists' bows. They nudge, jostle, and even bite for food.

[edit] Education

Schools in Nara include the Todaiji Gakuen, founded by the temple in 1926. Nara Women's University is one of the only two national women's universities of Japan.

[edit] Sister cities

Nara has sister-city relationships with five cities outside Japan [1]:

Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Silla in the southeast of Korea.
Xi'an, the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty in China.
Toledo, the medieval capital of Spain
Versailles, the famous early-modern French palace site near Paris, France.
Canberra, the capital of Australia

[edit] Gallery

Deer roaming in central Nara. The beautiful trees in autumn are Sapium sebiferum.	A deer in Nara, March 2004.	Deer near construction site in Nara with pagoda in background.	A deer resting near an engraved stone.
Kōfuku-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in the center of Nara