Nara City Tourism Association

Many masterpieces of Buddhist art, including Buddhist sculptures and paintings, are on display, and the Nara Buddhist Temple has nearly 100 Buddhist statues on permanent display.

The New Building hosts special exhibitions approximately twice a year. Notably, the autumn Shosoin Exhibition draws many fans from across the country.

The Main Building, completed in 1894 and designed by Katayama Tokuma, who also worked on Akasaka Palace (State Guest House), is designated an Important Cultural Property as a representative example of Western-style architecture from the Meiji period.

The Buddhist Art Library was established for the creation and collection of Buddhist art-related research documents, but the building in which it is housed is quite beautifully artistic as well. The library includes documents from the 6th to the 12th century, and it also highly praised for its modern design, which includes a clever mix of east and west with such features as its Islamic-style windows.

Enjoy a cup of sake at Harushika, a representative brand of Nara sake, at their own elegant brewery. Buy an original glass for 700 yen, and sample several different varieties of sake while you visit. Sake is of course available for purchase, as well as various other sake products and souvenirs.

Founded as a private museum in 1985, the Naramachi Museum houses precious materials such as nostalgic old signs, artworks, Naramachi folk materials, and Buddhist statues. It is open to the public free of charge. These items, which have withstood the elements for many years, have inspired people throughout time and continue to be talked about as part of the charm of Naramachi, which still shines today.

This shop offers over 120 varieties of sake from 29 breweries from not only Nara City, but Nara Prefecture as well. All varieties are available to sample for a fee.