Temple · Buddhist
Historic Buddhist Temples of Nara
Nara, Japan
UNESCO World Heritage Site — Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (inscribed 1998)
Temple · Buddhist
Nara, Japan
Nara, Japan's first permanent capital, is home to Todai-ji Temple and its Great Buddha Hall, one of the world's largest wooden buildings, alongside other foundational sites of Japanese Buddhism.
Todai-ji's giant bronze Buddha (Daibutsu) and the temple's role in the 8th-century state-sponsored spread of Buddhism across Japan make Nara a foundational site in Japanese Buddhist history.
Nara served as Japan's capital from 710 to 784 CE, a period during which Buddhism was actively promoted by the imperial court, leading to the construction of Todai-ji and several other major temples that still stand today.
March–April and October–November for the most comfortable weather and scenic surroundings, including Nara's famous free-roaming deer.