Nara

The capital of Nara Prefecture, in the north of the prefecture on the Kyoto border, with an estimated 367,353 people, the largest city in the prefecture and the sixth largest in the Kansai region. It was the capital of Japan itself from 710 to 784, the seat of the Emperor before the court moved to Nagaoka-kyō. Eight temples, shrines and heritage sites here (Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji and the Heijō Palace) together with the Kasugayama Primeval Forest make up the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.