Nara

Nara (奈良市, 'Nara-shi'^?) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. Seven temples, shrines and ruins in Nara, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji and Heijo Palace Remains, collectively form "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kōfuku-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in the center of Nara

1 History
2 Origin of the name "Nara"
3 Demographics
4 Sister cities
5 Famous places
6 Education
7 See also
8 External links

History

See Heijo Palace and Nara period for ancient history.

Nara was the capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 784. The city was modelled after the capital of Tang Dynasty China, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). The capital was then relocated to Nagaoka-kyō in Yamashiro Province, before being moved to Heian-kyō in 794, the start of the Heian Period.

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.

Origin of the name "Nara"

There is an urban legend about the origin of the name of the city "Nara" that is widely believed among Korean people. It argues that "Nara" came from a Korean word for nation that has a similar pronunciation. However, this is unfounded as the said Korean word is of the modern Korean language and there exists little historical record to know what the ancient Baekje language was like around the time of the establishment of Nara. Most historians and philologists believe that the name of the city came form a Japanese word "narashita" (均した, "narashita"^?), which means 'made flat'.

Demographics

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 364,869 and the density of 1,724.33 persons per km². The total area is 211.60 km².

Tōdai-ji, location of the Great Buddha of Nara

Sister cities

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

Famous places

A deer resting near an engraved stone.

Because of its many temples and shrines, Nara is a famous tourist destination. Mythologically speaking, it is said that when the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, descended from heaven, he rode a deer and arrived in Nara. The sacred deer that wander Nara are said to be its descendants. Around temples and shrines, sacred deer wander around the streets and request food from tourists (deer food is sold on the premises).