Tag Nara

Let me preface this article by saying that this one is going to be quite different from my usual area guides. While I will certainly be detailing the significance of Mt. Omine and its ancient temple complex of Ominesan-ji throughout,…

Hail and well met travelers! Today, we’ll be taking a look at the mysterious Muro-ji. Found in the eastern sections of Nara Prefecture, far away from the ever-adorable deer, this Buddhist temple is a spot that often pops up on…

Every single time that I think I’ve completed a prefecture, Japan turns around and hits me in the face with evidence that I’ll never be able to fully write somewhere off. Just recently, this reminder happened while I was down…

Unfortunately, most overseas visitors to Japan only ever experience Nara as a day-long excursion from Osaka or Kyoto. As soon as these travelers arrive in the city, they make a beeline for attractions like Todai-ji’s Daibutsu and the venerable Kasuga…

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Omiwa Shrine, a spiritual sanctuary that has long been on my bucket list. Found in the southern portions of Nara Prefecture, this ancient sepulcher is regularly considered to be Japan’s oldest shrine. The…

Standing alone in the middle of a secluded forest, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by a sense of something supernatural. Just before me was a behemoth-sized boulder known as the Itto-seki that had been split down the middle in…

“While this article was originally written during the pandemic, all of the locations and information featured are still valid…” — Donny Kimball Greetings readers! I hope you’re all safe and staying sane. As I write this, most of the world is currently…

Think you know Nara? Think again! Today we will be traveling back in time to a period long before Nara became the capital of Japan in 710. We’ll be examining the Asuka area and the period of time from 538–710…

Ah springtime in Japan… Few things can compare to this country’s beauty when its legendary cherry blossoms begin to flower. Only around for a brief period of time, this highly treasured part of spring has been much beloved throughout Japanese…