Nara City is located approximately 40 km south of Kyoto, and was once the Imperial Capital of Japan from 710 to 784 A.D. Dr. Yukio Kitano was brought up in this city and is proud of sharing its beauty with us. The city is a place full of historic and artistic interests. The Nara Hotel and the meeting hall are in Nara Park, which is popularly called "Deer Park" by foreigners because of its numerous deer.
We are all busy feeding deers, and taking photographs of each other.
This park is the largest of its kind in Japan, covering an area
of 1,250 acres. It is a natural woodland of fine turf, and has various
kinds of trees including Japanese cedars, oaks, and wisterias. Naturally,
deep discussion was carried out among us nature and plants lovers from
San Francisco.
Dr. Kitano
arranged a tour to vist temples such as Todaiji Temple, Chuguji Temple
and Horyuji Temple. Todaiji Temple was the center of Buddhism as
well as cultural activities in the 8th century when Nara was the capital
of Japan. Todaiji Temple, which means "the Great Eastern Temple,"
was the general headquarters of the provincial temples. A historical
record says that the temple was built for the "protection and welfare of
the nation" by Emperor Shomu and took nearly 30 years for completion.
Most of the original buildings, however, were damaged by the fire of civil
wars.