When it comes to Japan, the first scene that comes to people's mind is usually the busy Shibuya crossing of Tokyo or of a geisha taking a slow stroll along the river in tradition-filled Kyoto. Indeed, both the east and west capitals have made a mark for themselves as two of the most popular Japanese cities for visitors to the country, along with bustling, modern Osaka. However, not far off from Kyoto and Osaka sits another ancient capital, one which has long since been forgotten by the Western world but which was the first permanent capital of the Land of the Rising Sun - Nara (奈良).
Most visitors to Nara would have been to Nara Park, which is a large public park in central Nara. Besides housing the world's largest Buddha statue, Nara Park is also home to over a thousand wild deer.
Legend has it that the deer appeared in the park after one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine appeared on Mt. Mikasa riding a white deer. After which, the deer were considered divine and sacred by both Kasuga Shrine and Kōfuku-ji (both places also located within Nara Park). In fact, it was a crime in ancient Nara to kill a sacred deer - the punishment was losing your head.
Today, the deer are designated and protected as national treasures. Visitors to Nara Park can interact with the free roaming deer and even buy deer crackers (known as shika senbei in Japanese) to feed the deer.
Beyond the deer, the other highlight of Nara Park is the Buddhist temple of Todaiji, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The temple's Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den) is the world's largest wooden structure at 57m in length and 50m in width. In the middle of the hall is a sight to behold - there sits the world's largest Buddha statue that weighs 300 tons and stands at 15m.
Other temples worth a visit in Nara includes Kofukuji, which is a temple built in the early 8th century by a powerful family - Fujiwara - of the time. As the family gained dominance, the temple also expanded and at its peak, it was 13 times larger than the current size of the temple. Today, the five-storey pagoda of Kofukuji, which stands at 50m, is the second tallest ancient tower of Japan.
How to get there:
Located barely an hour away from Osaka and Kyoto, Nara makes a good location for a day excursion for tourists to the Kansai area. Nara can be assessed from Osaka and Kyoto via train (JR West and Kintetsu). Nara Park is a 15min walk / 5min bus ride from both the JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara stations.
Special Thanks to Magdalene, Co-Author of Walk.A.City
Follow her on instagram: @walk.a.city
Article from : http://walk-a-city.blogspot.my/2016/04/nara-park.html
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