Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture located in Kansai Region. The city is near to Osaka city (about 60 min. by train) and Kyoto city (about 40 min. by train). During 710-784, the capital of Japan, called Heijo-kyo, was located in Nara, before moving the capital to Kyoto. There are many old temples and shrines, including the conference venue: Todai-ji, which is famous for the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.

For more information about Nara, please see the following websites:

• Official Nara Travel Guide (Provided by Nara Prefectural Government Tourism Bureau Tourism Promotion Division)
• Nara Travelers Guide (Provided by Nara City Tourist Association)

Audio Guide

An audio guide mobile app is available here. After the app is started, an audio guide is automatically played when you come close to a guide point.

Guide Book

The municipal office of Nara City provides guide books of Nara for foreign visitors in several languages below (4MB PDF). They include information on convenience stores, rent-a-cycle, exchange counters, Internet cafes and tourist information offices, as well as events, sightseeing spots. Additionally, manners in shrines and temples are explained.

• English
• Chinese (simplified Chinese character)
• Chinese (traditional Chinese writing)
• Korean
• French