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Nara, Nara
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is 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 Todai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji and Heijo Palace Remains, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
for pre-modern history of Nara
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its name to the Nara period.
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Encyclopedia
is 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 Todai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji and Heijo Palace Remains, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
for pre-modern history of Nara
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its name to the Nara period. The original city, Heijo-kyo, 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-kyo in 794, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto (lit. meaning "South Capital") as opposed to Heian-kyo, 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.
Geography
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 kmē.
The downtown of Nara is on the east side of the ancient Heijo Palace site, occupying the northern part of what was called the Gekyo, 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 Nijo-oji, while Nara branch offices of major
nationwide banks are on Sanjo-oji, 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.
Climate
| Nara, 2008 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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| Average °C | 3.7 | 2.9 | 8.7 | 13.5 | 18.0 | 21.3 | 27.1 | 26.7 | 22.5 | 17.3 | 11.0 | 6.6 | - |
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| Rainfall (mm) | 54.0 | 67.5 | 102.5 | 134.5 | 213.0 | 144.5 | 91.0 | 162.5 | 163.5 | 71.5 | 54.5 | 41.5 | - |
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Demographics
As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 373,189 and the density of 1,348 persons per kmē. There were 147,966 households residing in Nara. The highest concentraton of both households and population, respectively about 46,000 and 125,000, is seen along the newer bedtown districts, along the Kintetsu line connecting to Osaka. There were about 3,000 registered foreigners in the city, of which Koreans and Chinese are the two biggest groups with respectively about 1,200 and 800 people. There were a little less than 1,200 deer in Nara in 2005.
Landmarks
- Buddhist temples
- Shinto shrines
- Imperial palace
- Other
Wildlife in Nara
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 Heijo-kyo. 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.
Education
As of 2005, there are 16 high schools and 6 universities located in the city of Nara.
Universities
Nara Women's University is one of the only two national women's universities of Japan.
Primary and secondary education
Public schools
Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city of Nara.
Public high schools are operated by the Nara Prefecture.
Private schools
Private high schools in Nara include the Todaiji Gakuen, a private school founded by the temple in 1926.
Sister cities
Nara, according to its own official record, has three sister cities in Japan and five sister cities overseas.
In Japan
Outside Japan
Gyeongju, Korea
Xi'an, China.
Toledo, Spain
Versailles, France
Canberra, Australia
Gallery
External links
- - Official website (Japanese, English Page link exist)
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