View source for Place:Nara (city)

{{short description|City in Nara prefecture, Japan}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Nara
| native_name              = {{nobold|{{lang|ja|奈良市}}}}
| official_name            = Nara City
| settlement_type          = Core city
| image_skyline            = {{Multiple image
| border                 = infobox
| total_width            = 280 
| image_style            = border:1;
|perrow                 = 1/2/2/1
|image1                 = Tōdai-ji Kon-dō.jpg
|alt1                   = Todai-ji temple
|image2                 = Toshodaiji Nara Nara pref01s5s4290.jpg
|alt2                   = Toshodai-ji temple
|image3                 = Yakushiji Nara11s5bs4200.jpg
|alt3                   = Yakushi-ji temple
|image4                 = Sika deer in Nara 05.jpg
|alt4                   = Deer in Nara Park
|image5                 = Kyu-Daijoin-teien05o4272.jpg
|alt5                   = The garden of the former Daijyo-in temple
|image6                 = Kasuga-taisha, chumon-1.jpg
|alt6                   = Kasuga-taisha shrine
}}
| imagesize                = 
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = From top left: Todai-ji temple, Toshodai-ji temple, Yakushi-ji temple, the [[Biology:Sika deer|sika deer]] in Nara Park, the garden of the former Daijyo-in temple and Kasuga-taisha shrine
| image_flag               = Flag of Nara, Nara.svg
| image_seal               = Emblem of Nara, Nara.svg
| image_map                = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=9}}
| map_caption              = Location of Nara in Nara Prefecture
| image_map1               = Nara in Nara Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_caption1             = 
| pushpin_map              = Japan
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Japan
| coordinates              = {{Coord|34|41|04|N|135|48|18|E|region:JP-29_type:city(367,000)|display=it}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = Japan
| subdivision_type1        = Region
| subdivision_name1        = Kansai
| subdivision_type2        = Prefecture
| subdivision_name2        = Nara Prefecture
| subdivision_type3        = District
| subdivision_name3        = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Gen Nakagawa
| leader_title1            = Vice Mayor
| leader_name1             = 
| unit_pref                = Metric
| area_total_km2           = 276.84
| population_total         = 367,353<ref>{{cite web | url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/japan | title=Population of Cities in Japan (2022) }}</ref>
| population_as_of         = 2022
| population_density_km2   = auto
| timezone1                = [[Japan Standard Time|JST]]
| utc_offset1              = +09:00
| postal_code_type         = 
| postal_code              = 
| blank_name_sec1          = City hall address
| blank_info_sec1          = 1-1-1 Nijō-ōji, Nara-shi, Nara-ken<br />630-8580
| website                  = [https://www.city.nara.lg.jp/site/userguide/list397-1044.html City of Nara]
| module                   = {{Infobox place symbols|embedded=yes
|tree                   = ''[[Biology:Quercus gilva|Quercus gilva]]''
|flower                 = Nara yaezakura
|bird                   = [[Biology:Japanese bush warbler|Japanese bush warbler]]
|butterfly              = 
|fish                   = 
}}
}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
|child                  = no
|official_name          = Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
|includes               = {{flatlist|
#Tôdai-ji
#Kôfuku-ji
#Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Forest
#Gangô-ji
#Yakushi-ji
#Tôshôdai-ji
#Nara Palace Site
}}
|criteria               = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)}}(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
|ID                     = 870
|year                   = 1998
|area                   = {{cvt|617|ha|acre}}
|buffer_zone            = {{cvt|1,962.5|ha|acre}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Nara'''|奈良市|Nara-shi|extra={{IPA-ja|naꜜɾa||TomJ-Nara.ogg}}}} is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, {{wipe|Japan}}. {{As of|2022}}, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture.

Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 794 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to [[Place:Kyoto|Kyoto]]. Nara is home to eight temples, shrines, and ruins, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

==Etymology==
By the Heian period, a variety of different characters had been used to represent the name Nara: {{lang|ja|乃楽}}, {{lang|ja|乃羅}}, {{lang|ja|平}}, {{lang|ja|平城}}, {{lang|ja|名良}}, {{lang|ja|奈良}}, {{lang|ja|奈羅}}, {{lang|ja|常}}, {{lang|ja|那良}}, {{lang|ja|那楽}}, {{lang|ja|那羅}}, {{lang|ja|楢}}, {{lang|ja|諾良}}, {{lang|ja|諾楽}}, {{lang|ja|寧}}, {{lang|ja|寧楽}} and {{lang|ja|儺羅}}.

A number of theories for the origin of the name "Nara" have been proposed, and some of the better-known ones are listed here. The second theory in the list, from the notable folklorist Kunio Yanagita (1875–1962), is most widely accepted at present.

*The {{lang|ja-latn|[[Religion:Nihon Shoki|Nihon Shoki]]}} (''The Chronicles of Japan'', the second oldest book of classical Japanese history) suggests that "Nara" was derived from ''narasu'' (to flatten, to level). According to this account, in September in the tenth year of Emperor Sujin, "leading selected soldiers (the rebels) went forward, climbed Nara-yama (hills lying to the north of [[Place:Heijō-kyō|Heijō-kyō]]) and put them in order. Now the imperial forces gathered and flattened trees and plants. Therefore the mountain is called Nara-yama." Though the narrative itself is regarded as a folk etymology and few researchers regard it as historical, this is the oldest surviving suggestion, and is linguistically similar to the following theory by Yanagita.
*"Flat land" theory (currently most widely accepted): In his 1936 study of placenames,<ref>[http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1879894/118 柳田国男 (Yanagita, Kunio) (1936): 地名の研究 ''(The Study of Place Names)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131331/http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1879894/118 |date=2018-01-17 }}, pub. 古今書院 (Kokon Shoin), pp. 217–219</ref> the author Kunio Yanagita states that "the topographical feature of an area of relatively gentle gradient on the side of a mountain, which is called ''taira'' in eastern Japan and ''hae'' in the south of Kyushu, is called ''naru'' in the Chūgoku region and Shikoku (central Japan). This word gives rise to the verb ''narasu'', adverb ''narashi'', and adjective ''narushi''." This is supported by entries in a dialect dictionary<ref>東条 操 (Tōjō, Misao) (1951): 全国方言辞典 ''Dictionary of Japanese Dialects'', 東京堂出版.</ref> for nouns referring to flat areas: ''naru'' (found in Aida District, Okayama Prefecture and Ketaka District, Tottori Prefecture) and ''naro'' (found in Kōchi Prefecture); and also by an adjective ''narui'' which is not standard Japanese, but is found all across central Japan, with meanings of "gentle", "gently sloping", or "easy". Yanagita further comments that the way in which the fact that so many of these placenames are written using the character {{lang|ja|平}} ("flat"), or other characters in which it is an element, demonstrates the validity of this theory. Citing a 1795 document, {{Nihongo||因幡志|Inaba-shi}} from the province of Inaba, the eastern part of modern Tottori, as indicating the reading ''naruji'' for the word 平地 (standard reading ''heichi'', meaning "level/flat ground/land/country, a plain"), Yanagita suggests that ''naruji'' would have been used as a common noun there until the modern period. Of course, the fact that historically "Nara" was also written {{lang|ja|平}} or {{lang|ja|平城}} as above is further support for this theory.
*The idea that Nara is derived from {{lang|ja|楢}} ''nara'' ([[Social:Japanese language|Japanese]] for "oak, deciduous ''[[Biology:Quercus|Quercus]]'' spp.") is the next most common opinion. This idea was suggested by a linguist, Yoshida Togo.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2937057/103 |title=吉田東伍 YOSHIDA Tōgo (1907), 『大日本地名辞書 上巻』 (The Dictionary of Place Names in the Great Japan, Fuzambo, Vol.1), 冨山房, pp.190–191. |access-date=2014-02-10 |archive-date=2014-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221163533/http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2937057/103 |url-status=live }}</ref> This noun for the plant can be seen as early as in Man'yōshū (7–8th century) and [[Religion:Fudoki|Harima-no-kuni Fudoki]] (715). The latter book states the place name ''Narahara'' in Harima (around present-day Kasai) derives from this ''nara'' tree, which might support Yoshida's theory. Note that the name of the nearby city of Kashihara (literally "live oak plain") contains a semantically similar morpheme (Japanese {{lang|ja|橿}} ''kashi'' "live oak, evergreen ''[[Biology:Quercus|Quercus]]'' spp.").
*Nara could be a [[Social:Loanword|loanword]] from [[Social:Old Korean|Old Korean]], related to Middle Korean ''narah'' and Modern [[Social:Korean language|Korean]] ''nara'' ({{lang|ko|나라}}: "country", "nation", "kingdom"). This idea was put forward by the linguist Matsuoka Shizuo.<ref>[http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1145583/492 松岡静雄 編 MATSUOKA Shizuo ed. (1929), 『日本古語大辞典』 ''(The Unabridged Dictionary of Old Japanese)'', 刀江書院, p.955.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221162250/http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1145583/492 |date=2014-02-21 }} Previous to Matsuoka, KANAZAWA Shôzaburô (1903) pointed out the possibility of influence from Korea. Both were, however, comparing [[Social:Old Japanese|Old Japanese]] to Modern Korean, not [[Social:Old Korean|Old Korean]].</ref> American linguist Samuel E. Martin notes that the earliest attestation of this word in Korean sources—given in an eighth-century ''hyangga'' text, in the [[Social:Phonogram (linguistics)|phonogram]]ic form {{lang|ja|國惡}}—should be read as ''NAL[A-]ak''. This is similar to the form implied by the Old Japanese writings of Nara that transcribe the second syllable with 楽 (''raku''), and Martin notes that the city name has been "long suspected of being a borrowing from the Korean word".<ref>{{cite book |last=Martin |first=Samuel E. |title=Patterns of Change - Change of Patterns |editor-first1=Philip |editor-last1=Baldi |date=November 1, 1991 |chapter=Morphological clues to the relationships of Japanese and Korean |url=https://www.degruyter.com/view/title/12597 |location=The Hague |publisher=De Gruyer Mouton |pages=496–497 |doi=10.1515/9783110871890 |isbn=978-3-11-013405-6 |access-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708063208/https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110871890/html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kusuhara et al. argues that this hypothesis cannot account for the fact there are many places named Nara, Naru and Naro besides this Nara.<ref name="kusuhara">楠原佑介ほか KUSUHARA Yūsuke et al. (1981), 『古代地名語源辞典』 ''(The Dictionary of Ancient Place Name Etymology)'', 東京堂出版, p.232</ref>
*There is the idea that Nara is akin to [[Social:Tungusic languages|Tungusic]] ''na''.<ref>One of the earliest assumption for this is seen in 奈良市 編 Nara ed. (1937), 『奈良市史』 ''(The History of Nara, Nara)''., 奈良市.</ref> In some Tungusic languages such as [[Social:Orok language|Orok]] (and likely [[Social:Goguryeo language|Goguryeo language]]), ''na'' means earth, land or the like. Some have speculated about a connection between these Tungusic words and Old Japanese ''nawi'', an archaic and somewhat obscure word that appears in the verb phrases ''nawi furu'' and ''nawi yoru'' ('an [[Earth:Earthquake|earthquake]] occurs, to have an earthquake').<ref>宮腰賢ほか編 MIYAKOSHI Masaru et al. ed. (2011), 『全訳古語辞典』 ''(The Dictionary of Old Japanese with Complete Translation)'' 第4版, 旺文社.</ref>

The "flat land" theory is adopted by Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (the largest dictionary of Japanese language), various dictionaries for place names,<ref name="kusuhara" /><ref>池田末則・横田健一編 IKEDA Suenori & YOKOTA Ken'ichi (Eds.) (1981), 『日本歴史地名大系30 奈良県の地名』''(A Series on Historical Place Names in Japan, Vol. 30, Place Names in Nara Prefecture)'', 平凡社, p.490</ref><ref>角川日本地名大辞典編纂委員会編 (1990), 『角川日本地名大辞典　29　奈良県』(''Kadokawa Unabridged Dictionary of Place Names in Japan, Vol. 29, Nara Prefecture''), 角川書店, p.814</ref> history books on Nara,<ref>e.g. 斎藤建夫 編 SAITŌ Tateo (ed.) (1997), 『郷土資料事典 : ふるさとの文化遺産. 29(奈良県) 』 ''(The Dictionary of Native Place Data. Vol. 29. Nara Prefecture.)'', 人文社, p.27</ref> and the like today, and it is regarded as the most likely.

==History==

===Pre-Nara and origins===
There are a number of megalithic tombs or kofun in Nara, including Gosashi Kofun, {{nihongo|Hishiage Kofun|ヒシアゲ古墳}}, {{nihongo|Horaisan Kofun|宝来山古墳}}, {{nihongo|Konabe Kofun|コナベ古墳}}, {{nihongo|Saki Ishizukayama Kofun|佐紀石塚山古墳}}, {{nihongo|Saki Misasagiyama Kofun|佐紀陵山古墳}}, and {{nihongo|Uwanabe Kofun|ウワナベ古墳}}.

By decree of an edict on March 11, 708 AD, Empress Genmei ordered the court to relocate to the new capital, Nara.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/Nara.html |title=Nara (Heijô-kyô) — The Capital of Japan in the eighth Century |last=Ogata |first=Noboru |website=Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University |access-date=2018-10-18 |archive-date=2013-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704145857/http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/Nara.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Once known as Heijō or [[Place:Heijō-kyō|Heijō-kyō]], the city was established as Japan's first permanent capital in 710 CE; it was the seat of government until 784 CE, albeit with a five-year interruption, lasting from 741 to 745 CE.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Toby |first=Ronald |date=Autumn 1985 |title=Why Leave Nara?: Kammu and the Transfer of the Capital |journal=Monumenta Nipponica |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=331–347 |jstor=2384764 |doi=10.2307/2384764}}</ref> Heijō, as the ‘penultimate court’, however, was abandoned by the order of Emperor Kammu in 784 CE in favor of the temporary site of [[Place:Nagaoka-kyō|Nagaoka]], and then [[Place:Heian-kyō|Heian-kyō]] (Kyoto) which retained the status of capital for 1,100 years, until the Meiji Emperor made the final move to Edo in 1869 CE.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Burnett Hall |first=Robert |date=December 1932 |title=The Yamato Basin, Japan |journal=Annals of the Association of American Geographers |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=243–292 |jstor=2560778 |doi=10.1080/00045603209357109}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> This first relocation was due to the court's transformation from an imperial nobility to a force of metropolitan elites and new technique of dynastic shedding which had refashioned the relationship between court, nobility, and country.<ref name=":3" /> Moreover, the ancient capital lent its name to Nara period.<ref name=":2" />

As a reactionary expression to the political centralization of China, the city of Nara (Heijō) was modeled after the Tang capital at Chang’an.<ref name=":4" /> Nara was laid out on a grid—which was based upon the Handen system—whereby the city was divided by four great roads.<ref name=":2" /> Likewise, according to Chinese cosmology, the ruler's place was fixed like the pole star. By dominating the capital, the ruler brought heaven to earth.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |title=Modern East Asia: From 1600: A Cultural, Social, and Political History |last=Ebrey |first=Patricia |publisher=Wadsworth |year=2014 |location=Boston}}</ref> Thus, the south-facing palace centered at the north, bisected the ancient city, instituting ‘Right Capital’ and ‘Left Capital’ zones.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> As Nara came to be a center of Buddhism in Japan and a prominent pilgrimage site, the city plan incorporated various pre-Heijō and Heijō period temples, of which the Yakushiji and the Todaiji still stand.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" heights="130px">
File:CG Gosashi Kofun 1 7p.jpg|Gosashi tomb
</gallery>

===Politics===
A number of scholars have characterized the Nara period as a time of penal and administrative legal order.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 1 |last=Whitney Hall |first=John |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2014 |location=Cambridge}}</ref> The Taihō Code called for the establishment of administrative sects underneath the central government, and modeled many of the codes from the Chinese Tang dynasty.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taiho-code |title=Taihō code |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2018-10-18 |archive-date=2020-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015013108/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taiho-code |url-status=live }}</ref> The code eventually disbanded, but its contents were largely preserved in the Yōrō Code of 718.<ref name=":7" />

Occupants of the throne during the period gradually shifted their focus from military preparation to religious rites and institutions, in an attempt to strengthen their divine authority over the population.<ref name=":6" />

===Religion and temples===
* Nanto Rokushū
With the establishment of the new capital, Asuka-dera, the temple of the Soga clan, was relocated within Nara.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/gangoji.html |title=Asuka in Nara – Gangô-ji Monastery and the Old Town of Nara |last=Ogata |first=Noboru |date=2004-10-13 |website=Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University |access-date=2018-10-18 |archive-date=2017-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031095718/http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/gangoji.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Emperor Shōmu ordered the construction of Tōdai-ji Temple (largest wooden building in the world) and the world's largest bronze Buddha statue.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Johnston |first=Norman |date=1969 |title=Nara: The Old Imperial Capital of Japan |journal=The Town Planning Review |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=331–347 |doi=10.3828/tpr.40.1.e34hm24750840401 |jstor=40102657}}</ref> The temples of Nara, known collectively as the Nanto Shichi Daiji, remained spiritually significant even beyond the move of the political capital to [[Place:Kyoto|Heian-kyō]] in 794, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto ({{Nihongo2|南都}} "the southern capital").

On December 2, 724 AD, in order to increase the visual "magnificence" of the city, an edict was ordered by the government for the noblemen and the wealthy to renovate the roofs, pillars, and walls of their homes, although at that time this was unfeasible.<ref name=":0" />

Sightseeing in Nara city became popular in the Edo period, during which several visitors' maps of Nara were widely published.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/nara-ezu.html |title=Tourist Maps of Nara in the Edo Period |last=Yamachika |first=Hiroyoshi |website=Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University |access-date=2018-10-18 |archive-date=2017-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031164944/http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/nara-ezu.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the Meiji Period, the Kofukuji Temple lost some land and its monks were converted into Shinto priests, due to Buddhism being associated with the old shogunate.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.visitnara.jp/history/ |title=Historical Timeline of Nara |last=Nara Prefectural Government Tourism Bureau Tourism Promotion Division |website=Visit Nara |access-date=2018-10-18 |archive-date=2018-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717183721/https://www.visitnara.jp/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" heights="130">
File:Todaiji18s3200.jpg|Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple and the world's largest wooden building (8th century)
File:Wakakusa-yakushiji.jpg|Yakushi-ji was completed in 680
File:Kofukuji12st5s3200.jpg|Kōfuku-ji was built in 669
File:Hotokuji15s5s3200.jpg|Houtokuji (Yagyu Clan Tomb)
File:Weeping cherry tree in Himuro jinja 20150329.jpg|Himuro Shrine, established in 710
</gallery>

===Modern Nara===
Although Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 794, it was not designated a city until 1 February 1898. Nara has since developed from a town of commerce in the Edo and Meiji periods to a modern tourist city, due to its large number of historical temples, landmarks and national monuments. Nara was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in December 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.visitnara.jp/travel-tips/ |title=Travel Tips – Official Nara Travel Guide |website=Official Nara Travel Guide |language=en |access-date=2018-10-25 |archive-date=2018-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064510/https://www.visitnara.jp/travel-tips/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The architecture of some shops, ryokans and art galleries has been adapted from traditional merchant houses.<ref name=":1" />

Nara holds traditional festivals every year, including the Neri-Kuyo Eshiki, a spring festival held in Todaiji temple for over 1,000 years; and the Kemari Festival, in which people wear costumes ranging across 700 years and play traditional games).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://narashikanko.or.jp/en/feature/naramachi/|title=Stroll Around Naramachi (Town of Nara) {{!}} Nara Travelers Guide|website=narashikanko.or.jp|language=ja|access-date=2018-10-25|archive-date=2018-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007221020/https://narashikanko.or.jp/en/feature/naramachi/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1909, Tatsuno Kingo designed the Nara Hotel, whose architecture combined modern elements with traditional Japanese style.<ref name=":1" />

On 8 July 2022, former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was shot and killed by Tetsuya Yamagami with a [[Engineering:Homemade firearm|homemade firearm]] in Nara while campaigning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-former-pm-shinzo-abe-assassinated-shot-nara-campaign-speech-2796576|title=Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe assassinated while giving campaign speech|newspaper=Channel NewsAsia |date=2022-07-08|access-date= July 8, 2022}}</ref> There is currently an ongoing investigation into the assassination.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/diy-gun-used-kill-japans-abe-was-simple-make-analysts-say-2022-07-09/ DIY gun used to kill Japan's Abe was simple to make, analysts say], Reuters.com. Accessed 13 July 2022.</ref>

==Geography==
The city of Nara lies in the northern end of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture to its north. The city is {{cvt|22.22|km|2|abbr=out}} from North to South, from East to West.{{clarify|date=August 2016}} As a result of the latest merger, effective April 1, 2005, that combined the villages of Tsuge and Tsukigase with the city of Nara, the city now borders Mie Prefecture directly to its east. The total area is {{cvt|276.84|km2|2|abbr=off}}.<ref name="naraofficial">{{cite web |url=http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/b_hp/english/profile/index.htm |title=City Profile of Nara |access-date=2007-04-02 |date=2007-04-02 |publisher=Nara City |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526093212/http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/b_hp/english/profile/index.htm |archive-date=2007-05-26}} For more details and latest figures, navigate to the equivalent Japanese page at the official homepage {{cite web |url=http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/icity/browser?ActionCode=content&ContentID=1146477996507&SiteID=0000000000000&ParentGenre=1146554098431 |title=奈良市統計書「統計なら」平成１７年版（２００５年版） - 奈良市役所 |access-date=2007-04-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222704/http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/icity/browser?ActionCode=content&ContentID=1146477996507&SiteID=0000000000000&ParentGenre=1146554098431 |archive-date=2007-09-26}}</ref>

Nara city, as well as several important settlements (such as Kashihara, Yamatokōriyama, [[Place:Tenri, Nara|Tenri]], Yamatotakada, [[Place:Sakurai, Nara|Sakurai]] and Goze{{sfnm|1a1=World Encyclopedia|1y=1988}}), are located in the Nara Basin.{{sfnm|1a1=Kikuchi|1y=1994}} This makes it the most densely-populated region of Nara Prefecture.{{sfnm|1a1=Kikuchi|1y=1994}}

The downtown of Nara is on the east side of the ancient Heijō Palace site, occupying the northern part of what was called the {{Nihongo3||外京|Gekyō}}, literally the outer capital area. Many of the public offices (e.g. the Municipal office, the Nara Prefectural government, the Nara Police headquarters, etc.) are located on {{Nihongo3||二条大路|Nijō-ōji}}, while Nara branch offices of major nationwide banks are on {{Nihongo3||三条大路|Sanjō-ōji}}, with both avenues running east–west.

The highest point in the city is at the peak of Kaigahira-yama at an altitude of {{cvt|822.0|m|2}} (Tsugehayama-cho district), and the lowest is in Ikeda-cho district, with an altitude of {{cvt|56.4|m|2}}.<ref name="narajpn">{{cite web |url=http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/icity/browser?ActionCode=content&ContentID=1146477996507&SiteID=0000000000000&ParentGenre=1146554098431 |script-title=ja:奈良市統計書「統計なら」平成１７年版（２００５年版）(Nara City Statistics, Year 2005 Edition) |access-date=2007-04-02 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222704/http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/icity/browser?ActionCode=content&ContentID=1146477996507&SiteID=0000000000000&ParentGenre=1146554098431 |archive-date=2007-09-26}}</ref>

===Climate===
The climate of Nara Prefecture is generally temperate, although there are notable differences between the north-western basin area and the rest of the prefecture which is more mountainous.

The basin area climate has an inland characteristic, as represented in the higher daily temperature variance, and the difference between summer and winter temperatures. Winter temperatures average approximately {{cvt|3|to|5|°C|F|0}}, and from {{cvt|25|to|28|C|F|0}} in the summer with highest readings reaching close to {{cvt|35|°C|0}}. There has not been a single year since 1990 with more than 10 days of snowfall recorded by Nara Local Meteorological Observatory.

The climate in the rest of the prefecture is that of higher elevations especially in the south, with {{cvt|-5|°C|0}} being the extreme minimum in winter. Heavy rainfall is often observed in summer. The annual accumulated rainfall totals as much as {{cvt|3000|to|5000|mm|2|lk=out}}, which is among the heaviest in Japan and indeed in the world outside the equatorial zone.

Spring and fall temperatures are temperate and comfortable. The mountainous region of Yoshino has been long popular for viewing cherry blossoms in the spring. In autumn, the southern mountains are also a popular destination for viewing fall foliage.
{{clear}}

{{Weather box
|location=Nara (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–present)
|single line=Y
|metric first=Y
|Jan record high C=18.9
|Feb record high C=23.9
|Mar record high C=25.9
|Apr record high C=30.5
|May record high C=33.6
|Jun record high C=36.5
|Jul record high C=38.1
|Aug record high C=39.3
|Sep record high C=36.9
|Oct record high C=32.0
|Nov record high C=26.8
|Dec record high C=24.9
|Jan record low C=-7.0
|Feb record low C=-7.8
|Mar record low C=-5.0
|Apr record low C=-2.4
|May record low C=1.4
|Jun record low C=7.3
|Jul record low C=12.2
|Aug record low C=12.8
|Sep record low C=7.7
|Oct record low C=2.3
|Nov record low C=-2.6
|Dec record low C=-6.6
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm=52.4
|Feb precipitation mm=63.1
|Mar precipitation mm=105.1
|Apr precipitation mm=98.9
|May precipitation mm=138.5
|Jun precipitation mm=184.1
|Jul precipitation mm=173.5
|Aug precipitation mm=127.9
|Sep precipitation mm=159.0
|Oct precipitation mm=134.7
|Nov precipitation mm=71.2
|Dec precipitation mm=56.8
|year precipitation mm=1365.1
|Jan mean C=4.2
|Feb mean C=4.7
|Mar mean C=8.0
|Apr mean C=13.5
|May mean C=18.5
|Jun mean C=22.2
|Jul mean C=26.2
|Aug mean C=27.3
|Sep mean C=23.2
|Oct mean C=17.2
|Nov mean C=11.4
|Dec mean C=6.4
|year mean C=15.2
|Jan high C=9.0
|Feb high C=10.0
|Mar high C=14.0
|Apr high C=20.0
|May high C=24.7
|Jun high C=27.4
|Jul high C=31.3
|Aug high C=33.0
|Sep high C=28.5
|Oct high C=22.6
|Nov high C=16.8
|Dec high C=11.4
|year high C=20.7
|Jan low C=0.1
|Feb low C=0.1
|Mar low C=2.7
|Apr low C=7.7
|May low C=13.0
|Jun low C=17.9
|Jul low C=22.2
|Aug low C=23.0
|Sep low C=19.1
|Oct low C=12.8
|Nov low C=6.8
|Dec low C=2.2
|year low C=10.6
|Jan humidity=70
|Feb humidity=69
|Mar humidity=67
|Apr humidity=65
|May humidity=68
|Jun humidity=75
|Jul humidity=76
|Aug humidity=73
|Sep humidity=76
|Oct humidity=77
|Nov humidity=76
|Dec humidity=73
|year humidity=72
|Jan sun=115.2
|Feb sun=116.8
|Mar sun=156.4
|Apr sun=179.0
|May sun=189.5
|Jun sun=136.6
|Jul sun=158.8
|Aug sun=204.4
|Sep sun=152.8
|Oct sun=152.1
|Nov sun=135.1
|Dec sun=124.4
|year sun=1821.1
|Jan snow cm=1
|Feb snow cm=3
|Mar snow cm=0
|Apr snow cm=0
|May snow cm=0
|Jun snow cm=0
|Jul snow cm=0
|Aug snow cm=0
|Sep snow cm=0
|Oct snow cm=0
|Nov snow cm=0
|Dec snow cm=0
|year snow cm=5
|unit precipitation days=0.5 mm
|Jan precipitation days=7.6
|Feb precipitation days=8.2
|Mar precipitation days=11.2
|Apr precipitation days=10.6
|May precipitation days=10.8
|Jun precipitation days=13.0
|Jul precipitation days=12.2
|Aug precipitation days=9.0
|Sep precipitation days=11.4
|Oct precipitation days=10.1
|Nov precipitation days=8.1
|Dec precipitation days=7.9
|year precipitation days=120.1
|source 1=Japan Meteorological Agency<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php?prec_no=64&block_no=47780&year=&month=&day=&view=|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）|publisher=Japan Meteorological Agency|access-date=May 19, 2021|archive-date=May 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521155844/https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php?prec_no=64&block_no=47780&year=&month=&day=&view=|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

==Cityscape==
{{Wide_image|The Nara City.jpg|1500px|Nara city in Nara Basin viewed from Byakugō-ji}}

==Demographics==
{{As of|2017|04|01|df=US}}, the city has an estimated population of 359,666 and a population density of 1,300 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. There were 160,242 households residing in Nara.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city.ikeda.osaka.jp/ |title=Official website of Nara city |publisher=Nara City |location=Japan |language=ja |access-date=23 April 2017 |archive-date=17 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217165513/http://www.city.ikeda.osaka.jp/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The highest concentration of both households and population, respectively about 46,000 and 125,000, is found along the newer bedtown districts, along the Kintetsu line connecting to {{wipe|Osaka}}.

There were about 3,000 registered foreigners in the city, of which Koreans and Chinese are the two largest groups with about 1,200 and 800 people respectively.

==Landmarks and culture==
[[File:Toshodaiji_Nara_Nara_pref01s5s4290.jpg|thumb|Tōshōdai-ji temple]]
[[File:Saidai-ji_Nara_Japan09n.jpg|thumb|Saidai-ji main hall]]

===Buddhist temples===
*Tōdai-ji, including Nigatsu-dō and Shōsōin
*Saidai-ji
*Kōfuku-ji
*Gangō-ji
*Yakushi-ji
*Tōshōdai-ji
*Shin-Yakushi-ji
*Akishino-dera
*Byakugō-ji
*Daian-ji
*Enjō-ji
*Enshō-ji
*Futai-ji
*Hannya-ji
*Hokke-ji
*Kikō-ji
*Ryōsen-ji
*Shōryaku-ji

===Shinto shrines===
[[File:Kasuga-taisha16ns3200.jpg|thumb|Kasuga Shrine]]
*Himuro Shrine
*Kasuga Shrine
*Tamukeyama Hachiman Shrine

===Former imperial palace===
*Heijō Palace

===Museums===
[[File:140927_Nara_National_Museum_Nara_Japan03bs5.jpg|thumb|Nara National Museum]]
*Nara National Museum
*Nara Municipal Buried Cultural Properties Research Centre
*Nara City Historical Materials Preservation House
*Nara Prefectural Museum of Art
*Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography Nara City
*Nakano Museum of Art
*Neiraku Museum
*Shōhaku Art Museum
*Yamato Bunkakan

===Gardens===
[[File:Isuien_Nara02bs4592.jpg|thumb|Isuien Garden]]
[[File:浮見堂.JPG|thumb|Ukimidou Pavilion in Nara Park]]
[[File:Sunazuri-no-Fuji_20140503_03.jpg|thumb|Sunazuri-no-Fuji (wisteria flower) in Kasuga-taisha]]
*{{nihongo|Former Daijō-in Gardens|旧大乗院庭園}}
*Isuien Garden
*Kyūseki Teien
*Manyo Botanical Garden, Nara
*Yoshiki-en
*{{nihongo|Yagyū Iris Garden, Nara|柳生花しょうぶ園}}

===Other===
*Naramachi
*Nara Park
*Nara Hotel
*Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
*Yagyū
*{{nihongo|Zutō|頭塔}}

===Music===

*Tipsy night, a rock band from Nara, contributed the theme song for the ''Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 4'' (''僕の愛してるだれもいない'') games

===Events===
[[File:090124 wakakusa yamayaki.jpg|thumb|Burning the dead grass of Mount Wakakusa and Suzakumon of Heijō Palace]]
*Nara Marathon
*Nara Centennial Hall
*Nara Kasugano International Forum Iraka
*Shuni-e

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Tōdai-ji_Kon-dō.jpg|Tōdai-ji Temple Daibutsuden Hall, the world's largest wooden building
File:Kofukuji08s3200.jpg|Kōfuku-ji in the center of Nara
</gallery>

==Deer in Nara==
[[File:Deer roaming in Nara city. 2010.jpg|thumb|300px|Deer roaming in Nara city. 2010]]
According to the legendary history of Kasuga Shrine, the god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white [[Biology:Sika deer|deer]] to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyō.<ref name="history-of-deer">{{cite web |url=http://www.naradeer.com/prof-histry.htm |script-title=ja:奈良のシカの歴史 |trans-title=The history of deer in Nara |access-date=2007-04-02 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830023323/http://www.naradeer.com/prof-histry.htm |archive-date=2007-08-30}}</ref> Since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country.<ref name="history-of-deer"/>

Tame [[Biology:Sika deer|sika deer]] (also known as spotted deer or Japanese deer) roam through the town, especially in Nara Park.<ref name="naraofficial"/><ref name="narajpn"/><ref name="in-nara-japan">{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/02/travel/la-tr-deer-20100404 |title=In Nara, Japan, the deer know their place: everywhere |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2010-04-02 |access-date=2016-09-03 |archive-date=2014-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104010333/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/02/travel/la-tr-deer-20100404 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="oh-deer-take">{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/do-feed-the-deer-at-nara-park/article26714618/ |title=Oh, deer! Take the cutest selfie at Japan's Nara Park |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=2015-10-08 |access-date=2017-09-05 |archive-date=2017-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402055154/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/do-feed-the-deer-at-nara-park/article26714618/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="are-there-really">{{cite news |url=http://mcha-jp.com/8701 |title=Are There Really Deer Everywhere In Nara Park? |publisher=Matcha |date=2015-04-04 |access-date=2016-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915082223/http://mcha-jp.com/8701 |archive-date=2016-09-15 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2015, there were more than 1,200 sika deer in Nara.<ref name="in-nara-japan"/><ref name="oh-deer-take"/><ref name="are-there-really"/> Snack vendors sell ''sika senbei'' (deer crackers) to visitors so they can feed the deer.<ref name="in-nara-japan"/><ref name="oh-deer-take"/><ref name="are-there-really"/> Some deer have learned to bow in order to receive ''senbei'' from people.<ref name="in-nara-japan"/><ref name="oh-deer-take"/><ref name="are-there-really"/>

A 2009 study by Harumi Torii (who is the assistant professor of wildlife management at Nara University of Education,) in which necropsies of deceased shika deer in Nara park were conducted, found that the deer in Nara park were malnourished from not having enough grass to eat, and eating too many rice crackers and other human food. The rice crackers commonly fed to the deer lack fiber and other nutrients deer require, so when the deer eat too many rice crackers it causes the gut microbiome in the deer to become unbalanced, among other problems.
7 out of 8 deer dissected had a “kidney fat index” (which measures how much fat has attached to the kidneys) below 40%, which indicates malnutrition in the deer. And of those 7, some had kidney fat below 10%, which indicates starvation. Compared to male shika deer outside of Nara park, which weigh about 50 kilograms on average, the male shika deer in Nara park only weigh 30 kilograms on average. The color of the femoral marrow in Nara park’s deer was also abnormal, indicating malnourishment.
When living deer in Nara park were observed during the study, it was discovered that rice crackers made up about one third of the average deer’s diet in Nara park, with grass making up about two thirds. The deer have become so excessively numerous in Nara park, that there isn’t enough grass in the park for all of them to live entirely on grass, creating a dependency on humans for rice crackers. This lack of grass also causes the deer to resort to eating garbage and plants that they wouldn’t normally eat.<ref>https://nara-edu.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=12203&item_no=1&attribute_id=17&file_no=1 {{bare URL inline|date=August 2023}}</ref>
The deer in Nara park have become overpopulated due to being fed by people frequently, and having few predators. And the deer have caused extensive damage to trees (by feeding on bark,) bamboo (by eating their shoots,) and other plants in the park. 
Additionally, the deer have become aggressive towards humans in their solicitation of food (which leads to people getting injured by deer,) aggressive towards each other in competition for rice crackers, and have lost their fear of predators in general.
For these reasons, tourists may want to consider not feeding the deer in Nara park, and simply observe them instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.kogenta.ciao.jp/?eid=592501|title=奈良公園のシカは栄養不足、観光客のせんべい頼り}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/tanakaatsuo/20180704-00088123 | title=奈良の鹿は栄養失調？ 鹿せんべい食えたらイイわけじゃない（田中淳夫） - エキスパート }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Nara_Park_Shika.jpg|Deer in Nara Park (2012).
File:Sika deer in Nara 09.jpg|Deer approaching tourists in Nara Park in summer.
File:20100716_Sika_Deer_Nara_2241.jpg|Deer in Nara Park
</gallery>

==Education==
{{As of|2005}}, there are 16 high schools and 6 universities located in the city of Nara.

===Universities===
[[File:Nara_Women's_University_Nara_Japan01s5.jpg|thumb|Nara Women's University former main building]]
Nara Women's University is one of only two national women's universities in Japan. Nara Institute of Science and Technology is a graduate research university specializing in biological, information, and materials sciences.

===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 Tōdaiji Gakuen, a private school founded by the temple in 1926.

==Transportation==
[[File:近鉄奈良駅_-_panoramio_-_くろふね.jpg|thumb|Kintetsu Nara Station]]
[[File:JR_Nara_Station.jpg|thumb|JR Nara Station]]
[[File:Kintetsu_Series_30000_Nara.jpg|thumb|Kintetsu Limited Express passing through the Heijo Palace ruins. Mt.Wakakusa and Todaiji Temple are in the background.]]

The main central station of Nara is Kintetsu Nara Station with JR Nara station some 500m west and much closer to Shin-Omiya station.

===Rail===
*West Japan Railway Company
**Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line): Narayama Station – Nara Station
**Sakurai Line (Manyō-Mahoroba Line): Nara Station – Kyōbate Station – Obitoke Station
*Kintetsu Railway
**Nara Line: Tomio Station – Gakuen-mae Station – Ayameike Station – Yamato-Saidaiji Station – Shin-Ōmiya Station – Kintetsu Nara Station
**Kyoto Line: Takanohara Station – Heijō Station – Yamato-Saidaiji Station
**Kashihara Line: Yamato-Saidaiji Station – Amagatsuji Station – Nishinokyō Station
**Keihanna Line: Gakken Nara-Tomigaoka Station

===Roads===
*[[Engineering:Expressways of Japan|Expressways]]
**Keinawa Expressway (Under construction)
**Hanshin Expressway Dainihanna Route 
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0024.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 24
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0025.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 25
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0169.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 169
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0308.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 308
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0369.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 369
*[[File:Japanese National Route Sign 0370.svg|20px]]Japan National Route 370

==Twin towns – sister cities==

===International===
Nara's sister cities are:<ref>{{cite web |title=「姉妹都市」と「友好都市」 |url=https://www.city.nara.lg.jp/site/kankou/2216.html |website=city.nara.lg.jp |publisher=Nara |access-date=2020-04-08 |archive-date=2020-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611105402/https://www.city.nara.lg.jp/site/kankou/2216.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Place:Canberra|Canberra]], Australia
*{{flagicon|KOR}} Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Place:Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], Province of Toledo, Spain
*{{flagicon|FRA}} Versailles, [[Place:Yvelines|Yvelines]], France
*{{flagicon|CHN}} Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
*{{flagicon|CHN}} Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
{{div col end}}

===Domestic===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|Fukuoka Prefecture}} Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
*{{flagicon|Fukushima Prefecture}} Kōriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
*{{flagicon|Fukui Prefecture}} Obama, Fukui Prefecture, Japan
*{{flagicon|Miyagi Prefecture}} Tagajō, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
*{{flagicon|Ōita Prefecture}} Usa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan
{{div col end}}

==In popular culture==
Nara is featured in the anime and manga, Tonikawa: ''Fly Me to the Moon''.

Nara is the inspiring location for the 2014 album This Is All Yours by English indie rock band Alt-J

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Nara}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031008220336/http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/ Nara City official website]
* [https://www.visitnara.jp/ The Official Nara Travel Guide]
* [https://www.gaccom.jp/en/search/p29/c201_public_js/ Public junior high schools in Nara]
* {{OSM relation|3227707|Nara}}


[[Category:Former capitals of Japan]]

{{Sourceattribution|Nara (city)}}