Japan’s first permanent capital, Nara has an exceptionally rich heritage, with an Imperial Palace, Buddhist temples and Shinto sanctuaries.

The Yakushi-ji, Todai-Ji and the Kasuga sanctuary are the city’s finest cultural testimonies.



Not far away, Shinto and Buddhist pilgrimage routes run through the Kii mountains, alongside dense forests, rivers and waterfalls. Still today, thousands of pilgrims make their way to the sacred sites of Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan and Koyasan where wooden sanctuaries and temples dating back to the 9th century can be found.