Everything about Nara Nara totally explained
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
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.
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,
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.
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 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.
Climate
| Nara City, 2004 |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average °C | 3.7 |
5.6 |
8.0 |
14.5 |
19.2 |
23.0 |
27.6 |
26.4 |
24.1 |
16.8 |
12.4 |
7.3 |
-
|
| Rainfall (mm) | 26.0 |
52.5 |
82.0 |
78.0 |
285.0 |
107.5 |
39.5 |
199.0 |
224.5 |
232.0 |
114.0 |
70.5 |
-
|
Demographics
As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 373,189 and the density of 1,348 persons per km². 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. 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 has three
sister cities in Japan and five sister cities overseas.
In Japan
Kōriyama, Fukushima
Obama, Fukui
Dazaifu, Fukuoka
Outside Japan
Gyeongju, Korea
Xi'an, China.
Toledo, Spain
Versailles, France
Canberra, Australia
Gallery
Image:Nara856.jpg|A deer in Nara, March 2004.
Image:Deer near construction site in Nara.jpg|Deer near construction site in Nara with pagoda in background.
Image:Nara Japan deer in city.jpg|A deer resting near an engraved stone.
Image:NaraKofukuji.jpg|Kōfuku-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in the center of Nara
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nara Nara'.
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