On July 3, 2009, Nara's Archaeological Cultural Properties Research Center announced that they had found fragments of an 8th century vase in the former grounds of the Saidaiji Temple; it was found alongside wooden tablets on which the date "Jingo-keiun 2", that is 768 AD, was written. While Islamic pottery has been found before in Japan, it's the first time one appears to be earlier than the 9th century AD

The story has been reported by the press throughout Japan: the article from the Mainichi Daily News, which is the English version of the Mainichi Shinbun, can be found here (in English, including picture)

The original Japanese article published in the Mainichi Shinbun further reported that the vase most probably served as a container for some sort of goods (oil, essences, rose water - which was used in various health products and skin care at the time and had to be imported from Western Asia - or even jam made with dates) carried over the 10,000 kilometers route seperating the Middle East and Japan. It also suggests that Nara may have had a more important trade activity during its time as a capital than was previously believed and may have been part of a "Silk Sea Road": indeed, 8th century vases of this type are rarely found in China, but are on the other hand much more common on the Indian Ocean coast or the Malay Peninsula