Nara
was the capital of Japan from 710
until 784. It was built by Empress Genmyô / Empress Genmei,
following Chinese style architectural plan. Its size is 4.7km from
north to south and 4.3 km from west to east. The imperial palace was at
the center in extreme north. After the move of Japanese capital to
Nagaoka, all the districts had been deserted excepting for Buddhist
temples like Tôdai-ji
and Kôfuku-ji -
both temples are
together with other ancient buildings part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nara.
2010
festivities- The 1,300-Year-Old Ancient Capital of Japan