Nara: UNESCO World Heritage Sites Slow Cycling Tour

The palace ruins of Heijo Palace, the center of the Heijo-kyo Capital, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".

Of the seven major temples in the southern capital, this temple has developed the closest connection with the city of Nara. At its peak, the temple was lined with numerous pagodas and monks' quarters.

It is a magnificent park suitable for the ancient capital that is integrated with Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and the National Museum, and also incorporates the Kasuga Mountain primeval forest. In the park, about 1,300 wild deer herd and play in harmony with the rich nature, including beautiful lawns and a 1,000-year-old pine tree grove, and many people visit the park as a tourist spot symbolizing Nara, the ancient capital of Japan.

The shrine was built in 768 during the Nara period (710-794) to pray for the protection of Heijo-kyo and the prosperity of the people, and enshrines the deities of the Nakatomi and Fujiwara clans. The main deity, Takemikazuchi no Mikoto, is said to have ridden a white deer to the shrine, and the deer is used as his messenger.

Todaiji Temple is a Buddhist temple that is the head temple of the Kegon sect of Buddhism, and its principal image is Rushanabutsu, also known as the Great Buddha of Nara. The temple grounds are vast, and numerous historical buildings remain, including Nigatsudo Hall.