Nara

Heijo Palace was the center of Heijo-kyo, the capital of Japan during the Nara period (710-784). In modern times, Heijo Palace would be equivalent to a district containing the Imperial Palace, the National Diet Building, and government offices.

If you walk west from the South Big Gate of Todai-ji Temple for about 10 minutes, you will reach Yoshiki-en Garden.From the detached tea house, you can look out over the moss garden, which has a lot of depth.Personally, I think this is the best view of Yoshiki-en Garden.

A wonderful sukiya-style house.That is the former residence of Shiga Naoya.There is a corridor that surrounds the central courtyard.The rooms and windows all face the central courtyard or the outer garden.From the second floor guest room, you can see Mt. Wakakusa and from the first floor dining room, you can see both the central courtyard and the outer garden.

There is a beautiful garden to the south of the Nara Hotel.There is a pond and greenery in the vast grounds.There is a small island floating in the pond and a red bridge.This is the garden of the former Daijo-in Temple.

The old Kawamoto-ro (Former Kawamoto-ke Family Residence) is a red-light district built in the Taisho era (1912-1926). This building is located in Dosenji-cho, Yamato Koriyama City.When each room of the three-story wooden building is lit up,the building had a strong sense of presence at that time.The courtyard seen from the hall has a certain charm.

First, we headed for the ruins of Koriyama Castle.Climbing up to the castle tower, we can see Mt. Wakakusa and Todai-ji Temple to the east, Mt.Nijo and Mt.Katsuragi to the west.The stone walls of the castle keep incorporate stone that was diverted for use in the construction, showing the painstaking effort that went into building more stone walls.

In Imai-cho, I took a trip back in time to the Edo period(1603-1868).As it is a preserved area, the style of the Edo period remains intact.Originally, it was a temple town built around Shoninji Temple in the mid-16th century.This settlement is an autonomous city surrounded by moats and walls.