Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi) - The capital city of
Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city
occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly
bordering Kyoto Prefecture. Eight 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.
The city of Nara lies in the north end of Nara Prefecture,
directly bordering itself to Kyoto Prefecture in its north
side. The city is 22.22 km from North to South, and 33.51 km
from East to West. As a result of the latest merger,
effective April 1st 2005, that combined the villages of
Tsuge and Tsukigase into the city of Nara, the city now
borders directly to Mie Prefecture in its east as well. The
total area is 276.84 km².
The downtown of Nara is on the east side of the ancient
Heijō Palace site, occupying the northern part of what was
called the Gekyō (外京), literally the outer capital area.
Many of the public offices (eg. the Municipal office, the
Nara Prefectural government, the Nara Police headquarter,
etc.) are located on Nijō-ōji (二条大路), while Nara branch
offices of major nationwide banks are on Sanjō-ōji (三条大路),
both avenues running east-west.
The highest point in the city is at the peak of
Kaigahira-yama, alt.822.0m (Tsugehayama-cho district), and
the lowest is in Ikeda-cho district, with an altitude of
56.4m.
Tame deer roam through the town, and especially in Nara
Park. These deer might be considered "tame" if the visitor
does not have any "shika sembei - Deer Biscuits" when they
see them.
According to the legendary history of Kasuga Shrine, a
mythological god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white
deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyō. Since
then the deer were regarded as heavenly animal to protect
the city and the country. Snack vendors sell small biscuits
to visitors so they can enjoy feeding the deer. Some of the
deer have learned to bow in response to tourists' bows. They
nudge, jostle, and even bite for food.
History
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its
name to the 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".
The temples of Nara remained powerful even beyond the move
of the political capital to Heian-kyō in 794, thus giving
Nara a synonym of Nanto (lit. meaning "South Capital") as
opposed to Heian-kyō, situated in the North.
Modern Nara
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.
Information source: “Nara, Nara.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 29 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Nara, Nara>. |
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