Nijō, on the border between Nara and Osaka, and gave it its present name. During the Asuka period (593–710), the Kondō (Golden Hall), with its seated image of Miroku (Maitreya), the Buddha of ...

Nara offers a distinctive atmosphere where historical heritage and nature coexist harmoniously. Visitors are drawn to its old ...

With 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Japan is ideal for those who like to explore the historical and environmental aspects of ...

The Hiroshima Daibutsu (big Buddha statue) is currently enshrined at Gokurakuji temple in Ando, Nara Prefecture ... have been made during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), in or around 1200.

It also houses one of the world’s largest bronze statues of Buddha, standing around 15 meters (49 feet) tall. Constructed in ...

Overnight, it seemed, Japan was open to the world and, as the curtain fell on its medieval past, the country entered a period of transformational change. “It looks like it will die,” Nishibori ...

Naramachi offers a glimpse into the long history of the city, from old historic sites of the Nara Period to traditional wooden townhouses ... and Kissho Tennyo, a female Buddha of good fortune.

Don’t miss the iconic “Mikaeri Amida” statue, a unique Buddha figure looking over its ... Japanese train—it’s an ode to ancient Nara. This luxury sightseeing express connects Kyoto ...