"Nara is older than Kyoto" a Nara-ken Travel Page by MINOSUKE

Nara is an old capital of Japan, older than Kyoto. Nara is no less attractive than Kyoto. Both Nara and Kyoto are beautiful cities with a lot of temples and shrines, nice paths to take a walk, traditional things to buy...etc.
But I think Nara has something that Kyoto does not have. I cannot express clearly what it is. It may be rusticity or quietness.
I like the city of Nara. I like walking in Nara. Visiting Nara never fails to make me really relaxed and gives my heart stillness.
Please see my personal album autumn leaves for more photos I took in Nara on Nov. 24, 2007.

The day I visitied Nara was the middle day of three consecutive holidays and it was a very beautiful autumn day. So many people visited Nara. The area around Todaiji Temple (famous for the huge monumental statue of Budda) was crowded with visitors and tourists.
But we did not see so many people and we could enjoy walking in Naramachi. Naramachi is a town which once was a precinct of a temple called Gangouji. The size of the temple has become much smaller and the precinct is now used for temples, houses, shops and restaurants.

This is the main building of Jurin-in Temple in Naramachi. We took a rest here enjoying the beauty of the old building. It was built in the 12th century and it is one of Japan's national treasures. (The temple itself is much older. It is said to have been built in the 7th century.)
While we stayed in this temple, we met only a few visitors.