Being Japan’s first permanent capital (710 AD) and home to some of the country's oldest and largest wooden structures, Nara is a city where history and nature are inextricably linked.

To see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) at Todai-ji, a bronze statue so massive that it occupies one of the world's largest wooden buildings. More famously, over 1,200 wild Sika deer roam the city park; they are considered sacred messengers and will politely bow to you in exchange for a cracker.