Logotypes: Kyoto University, WCS Kyoto2011 and RISH.  Wood Culture and Science Kyoto 2011

Technical Tour to Nara City

Date: 9 August (Tue), 2011
Place: History area, Nara city Contact person during the tour
090(7051)0920
Akihisa Kitamori,
RISH, Kyoto university

Time Table of Technical Tour

Important Notification

Due to a postponement of the conference, we made a slight change on the plan of the technical tour. Major changes are followings;

  1. To unify previously scheduled courses A and B (Cancel a visit to Nara national museum)
  2. To use a bus as transportation from Kyoto to Nara, and between each sites of Nara city
  3. To cancel a walk tour in precincts of Todai-ji temple

NARA is the ancient capital city of Japan, celebrates the 1300th anniversary of its founding at 2010. Being located 40 km south of Kyoto, a lot of historical buildings, items and cultures have been preserved and many of them are registered as national treasure. We visit the World Heritage sites of center of Nara city such as Kofuku-ji temple, Todai-ji temple and Kasuga-taisha shrine. There you may find many different styles of huge timber constructions and wooden statues.

Tour is to start at Kyoto station. Visiting Kofuku-ji temple to see many impressive Buddhist statues exhibited in the museum, observing a reconstruction site of huge timber hall and demonstration of traditional timber processing by master carpenters. After lunch, moving to Todai-ji temple to visit the largest timber structure in Japan (Daibutsu-den) walking through unique gate (Nandai-mon) displaying two big wooden statues of guardian gods (Niou-zo). Finally visiting to Kasuga-taisha shrine via dense Japanese cedar grove, looking on a performance of dedication dance to the forest based on Japanese religion.

Schedule

8:00Meeting at the public space in front of Kintetsu railway gates (south entrance of JR Kyoto station, second floor). See more info. at;
http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/useful/about_stations/3-4-kyoto.html
http://www.kyoto-station-building.co.jp/map_en/index.html
8:30Departure to Nara by bus
9:20Kofuku-ji temple precincts
visiting listed places by turns of two groups
  • Construction site of Chukondo (Middle Main Hall) under restration
  • Custody place of wooden building parts for Chukondo
  • History museum
  • Buddhism architectures of 8th century in the precincts of Kofuku-ji temple
  • Demonstration of traditional wood processing
13:00Nara Women’s University
  • Lunch at Saho Kaikan (packed luch).
14:00Todai-ji temple
  • Great south gate, Nandai-mon (12th century)
  • Great guardian statue, Niou-zo (12th century)
  • Great Buddha hall, Daibutsu-den (18th century)
See more info. at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tōdai-ji.
16:00Kasuga-taisha shrine
  • Enjoy watching Kagura sacred dance
  • Preserved forest area of the shrine
17:00Return back to Kyoto by bus (We make a brief stop at Kintetsu Nara station for those who wants to stay in Nara personally)
18:30Arrival at JR Kyoto station

Photos and map

Kofuku-ji temple precincts
Kofuku-ji temple precincts

Great Buddha hall of Todai-ji tempple
Great Buddha hall of Todai-ji tempple

Kasuga-taisha shrine
Kasuga-taisha shrine

Floor map of Kintetsu Kyoto station (gathering place)
Floor map of Kintetsu Kyoto station (gathering place) download from http://www.kyoto-station-building.co.jp/map_en/index.html

Chukondo (under construction at Kofuku-ji temple)
Chukondo (under construction at Kofuku-ji temple)

Statue of Ashura (Bhuddism guardian) in Kofuku-ji history museum.
Statue of Ashura (Bhuddism guardian) in Kofuku-ji history museum.

PDF file

WCSK2011-Techical_Tour_Time_Table.pdf (459 327 bytes).

Go back to WCSK2011.
30 July, 2011.