Nara, a city steeped in history and culture, is home to some of Japan’s oldest and most revered temples, scenic parks, and ...

But don't take our word for it. Go see the outdoor Buddha statue at Tsubosakadera Temple in Takatori, Nara Prefecture, who sits among a sea of hydrangeas when the weather gets warm and wet.

Buddhist monks clean the dust off the 15-meter-high Great Buddha during the annual cleaning at Todaiji Temple on August 7, 2017, in Nara, Japan. The Great Buddha of Nara, built in A.D. 752, and one ...

Even bigger than the Great Buddha of Nara The gentle-faced Buddha of Hotei watches over a railroad crossing in Konan, Aichi Prefecture, April 24, 2025. (Mainichi/Kohei Shinkai) ...

An annual ritual was held to dust off the 49-foot-tall Great Buddha statue at Todaiji temple in Nara, Japan. About 180 priests and worshippers wearing masks and clad in white outfits climbed onto ...

Shimbun reports that the Nara Buddha was thought to have 966 ball-like spiral curls, which weigh over 2.6 pounds each. The number came from a scroll dating from between 794 and 1185.

It was one reason why they chose AI as a research tool. A screenshot of the AI system analyzing the facial expressions of the Ashura Buddha. Credit: Nara University. “Studying this sort of art ...