Nara Park

Nara Park is a massive park at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa. The vast area covers 660 hectares and is renowned for its free-roaming deer and world famous temples. In the Shinto religion, deer are esteemed as the messengers of the gods. The 1,200 deer that call Nara home have therefore become a symbol of the city and are considered a natural treasure. Deer crackers, special rice crackers called shika-senbei, are sold at various locations around the park for visitors who would like to feed the deer.

RR: April alternative RR
Date: April 28

Tôdai-ji

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara.  The temple was built in 752 and it is the world’s largest wooden building, despite being rebuilt in 1692 at only two-thirds of the original size. Its Great Buddha Hall houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as Daibutsu. The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. 

Unesco: Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Tag: Favourites tag
Date: Nov 15

Yakushi-ji

Yakushi-ji is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, that was once one of the Seven Great Temples of Nanto, located in Nara .It is one of the sites that are collectively inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.
Yakushi-ji was Japan’s first temple to feature a pair of pagodas, with the West Pagoda (Saito) built to flank the Main Hall in symmetry with the East Pagoda. The brilliant red and green colors stand in contrast to the weathered hues of the East Pagoda and give an idea of how the older pagoda must have looked in its original glory.

Unesco: Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
RR: Monthly Favourite Surprise RR - February 2022
Date: Feb 17