Nara Adventure Tours

Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering itself to Kyoto Prefecture. Seven 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. Predating Kyoto as Japan’s first imperial capital, Nara has an impressive array of temples, burial mounds, and relics for the explorer-traveler.  Today, it might just be Japan’s friendliest and greenest city.  The old town sitting on the edge of a sprawling park provides a picture-perfect backdrop for Nara’s magnificent temples and shrines.  Yet Nara wasn’t always so peaceful and laid back.  The city’s turbulent history began in the 8th century, and it was also the final destination on the Silk Road, therefore rapidly absorbing ideas from China, Central Asia, Persia, and elsewhere.  Perhaps inevitably for a place of such religious importance, Nara was the victim of warring samurai clans and monks’ disputes many times over the years.  Amazingly, though, many buildings survived these conflicts and today, with its wooded hills, temple parks, and some of the world’s oldest wooden buildings, the ancient city of Nara is a symbol of tranquility.  With eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Nara is second only to Kyoto as a repository of Japan’s cultural legacy.