You will meet your guide at your Kyoto hotel at 10 am.
Nara is a unique city, it was the first capital of Japan, from 710 to 784. Over time, plenty of architectural masterpieces have been erected here, mainly Buddhist temples that are now ranked as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Horyu-ji Temple ensemble. The vast Nara Park is home to more than a thousand sacred 'sika' deers. According to the local belief, these deers are the descendants of that very legendary deer that Japan't first Emperor Jimmu rode and came down from heaven right here, in Nara.
The Todai-ji Temple, which means the Great Eastern Temple, is the largest wooden structure in the world, it houses the Great Buddha Waicharon, which, in turn, is the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world...
Another local landmark is an amazing Kofuki-ji Gojunoto, the Five-storied pagoda. The temple was erected in 730; the building is 55 meters tall. It was called 'the skyscraper of antiquity', being the tallest building in the world back in the day. This temple was built by the famous Fujiwara Samurai clan.
You will visit the ancient Japanese village of Shirakawa-go, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A special feature of the village is its architecture, typical of Japan's snowy regions: three or four-story houses are built in the gassho-zukuri style, meaning hands in prayer style.. The thatched roofs of the houses feature a very steep angle of inclination so that snow does not accumulate on them, and shaped like hands folded in prayer.
Top