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<< Feature Articles >> Ancient Sites to visit in Japan - Part 1: Around the city of Nara

Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 22 February 2018  Page Views: 5045

Other ArchaeologyCountry: Japan Region: Honshū
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Ishi-no-Hōden Kofun
Ishi-no-Hōden Kofun submitted by Aska : Site in Honshu Japan: (Vote or comment on this photo)
Japan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and is rich with ancient history. Today we are looking at sites to visit close to the ancient city of Nara, which makes a good place to base yourself while visiting some of Japan’s historic landmarks.

Nara is in the northern part of Nara Prefecture and borders the Kyoto Prefecture. Being one of Japan’s most ancient cities, it is full of amazing places to see. The eight best known temples and other historic sites in Nara are Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace. Together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively they form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, which is a World Heritage Site.

Of these, Todaiji Temple is a really lovely place to visit, with its gigantic image of the Buddha. Another interesting temple in Nara is the Kasuga Shrine, which has over three thousand colourful lanterns and much else to see. For nature lovers, the Deer Park is a must to visit.

OK we're really looking at ancient sites to visit - and here there are many close to the city.

Saki Misasagiyama is a keyhole shaped tumulus 207m long which belongs to the Saki Tatenami Kofungun group - these are regarded as burial mounds of the imperial family, and entry is strictly prohibited.

Ishi-no-Karato Kofun is a rare example of a push-button shaped tumulus - a circular mound on a square base - but surrounded by recent development.

Zutō is of three famous Buddhist pyramids in Japan along with Dotō and Kumayama-iseki. It is a seven-layer pagoda made of earth and stone blocks. 28 stone Buddhist images were found in its sides, out of 44 images originally there. Details of opening are on our page linked above.

Ishi-no-Hōden Kofun (pictured at the top of the page) is an extraordinary carved stone dolmen - it’s possible it was covered with earth originally, but looking at its unique and beautiful shape it may have always been uncovered like this.

On a top of a hill in a deep forest, but still only about 15km West from the city of Nara stands Tō-no-Mori (meaning Tower of Wood). This six-story pagoda - apparently thirteen stories originally - may have been a the forerunner to the classic Japanese multi-layered pagodas, which developed from proto-pagoda pyramids. Clearly this design with heavy stone parts is quite unstable, so higher pagodas were built with timber, whose nail-less joints absorbed the rocking caused by earthquakes or typhoons.

Wherever you go, Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, so safety should not be a big concern even when you visit remote places. The Japanese language can be daunting, but you have nothing to worry about as you will find signs in English all over the country. Japanese people are also very accommodating, friendly and always ready to help tourists.

However, one thing to remember is that having Travel Insurance is of the utmost importance - this will cover you against any unpredictable things that might happen on the trip. You will definitely get peace of mind if you are properly covered, so you can fully enjoy all the activities you have planned for your trip. Don’t leave this to the last moment - get it organised well before your trip.

This article was kindly supported by iSelect. Here we looked at just a small selection of ancient sites close to the ancient city of Nara - for more see our guide here - or try our new map of Japan.


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"Ancient Sites to visit in Japan - Part 1: Around the city of Nara" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Re: Ancient Sites to visit in Japan - Part 1: Around the city of Nara by Aska on Monday, 05 March 2018
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The second thing to remember is that you should get a contactless prepaied electronic card ticket like the London's "Oyster card" for public transport : "Suica", "Pasmo", "Icoca" etc. The function is all the same, the names of the cards just depend on the issuing organizations. Please note that all the vending machines only accept Japanese notes (some of them accept Japanese coins). "Suica" has the smartphone application and its English version "SuicaEng".

They are valid within all the metropolitan areas each other, but impossible to cross the areas. With "Japan Rail Pass", which is equivalent to the 'Eurail Pass' and the 'BritRail Pass', you can travel allover Japan using JR (ex-Japan National Railways) lines including "Shinkansen" super bullet express but this stingy pass is not valid for the quickest and most frequent (almost every 5 min.) Shinkansen 'Nozomi (=hope)' but only for 'Hikari (=light)' and 'Kodama (=echo)', both of which only run twice an hour.
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