Heijokyo Palace Site

the Daigokuden Audience Hall

Today I went to see the ancient palace site in Nara, which is called Heijokyo Palace Site. It is now a vast national park good for jogging, walking, cycling and picnic.

You may know that Kyoto was the ancient capital of Japan for a long time, but Nara was the other capital of Japan prior to Kyoto.

Heijo Capital was modeled on Chang'an, the ancient Chinese capital during the Tang Dynasty, and it prospered as the capital for about 70 years.

Inside the Audience Hall

Flowers on the ceiling

Situated at the center of the capital was the gigantic Heijo-kyo palace that extended 1.3km east to west and 1km north to south. The capital’s main gate, the “Suzakumon”, the “Toin Teien” garden  and the main building, the “Daigokuden” were reconstructed beautifully. The Daigokuden was used as an audience hall where national ceremonies and ceremonies for welcoming foreign delegates took place.

Sacred gems

 Last year, 2010 was the 1300th anniversary of the opening of Heijo Capital and various memorial events were held through the year. And a lot of people visited this site from all over Japan. But today I was able to see the architecture, decorations and displays as long as I wanted, as there were few visitors in a cold day.

This place is one of my recommendations, if you like to experience an ancient Japanese atomosphere in peace.