Location: in the middle of Japan, in the north of Nara Basin, on the western half of the island of Honshu.

Physical Features: The northern plains of Nara prefecture are bounded by the mountains in the Kansai, located in the south of the region. The city of Nara is located in the Kinai plain.

Symbols:
Flower: Nara yae zakura (Prunus verecunda cultivar)
Tree: Sugi, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
Bird: Japanese robin (Erithacus akahige)

History: Nowadays Nara Prefecture was once known as Yamato-no-kuni or Yamato Province. The first permanent Japanese capital, Heijo-kyo or Nara, was established in Nara Basin. With this first capital, the country acquired a constitution and a centralized Imperial state system. The first historical records were kept. The culture of the Imperial court was heavily influenced by China. This included crafts as weaving, metalworking, tanning and shipbuilding as well as Confucianism, medicine, and not the least important, kanji, the Chinese characters for writing. Via China and Korea, Buddhist religion flourished under the royal patronage and Buddhist temples remained powerful and enjoyed religious fame. Nara remained basically a Buddhist and conservative town for a long time.