Old Imperial Palace Site of Nara

On Thursday, I had a bit of time in the afternoon to visit an old capital site in Nara. Thirteen thousand and one (1,301) years ago, Nara became the capital of Japan but remained as the center of the imperial governance for only 74 years.

I visited the old site of the imperial palace (Heijo Palace). Below is the re-constructed entrance gate - Suzakumon Gate.

Re-constructed Daigokuden, the main building of the palace.

Re-constructed Imperial Throne in Daigokuden. The guide told us that since no record or picture exists of the throne, the current one was built based on the one that was used for Emperor Taisho's enthronement of 1912.

A picture shows how an assembly of the nobles that took place in the palace.