About a 20-minute walk east from JR Nara Station, you will find the ancient temple of Gango-ji, surrounded by trees. As you enter through the East Gate, you will see the national treasure, Gokuraku Hall, directly in front of you. During this season, numerous pots filled with planted lotus flowers are lined up in front of it. In the center of the still blooming flowers, small lotus seeds can be seen peeking out. If you go around the back of the Gokuraku Hall, you will find another national treasure, the Zen Hall, with a group of stone pagodas in front of it. The Futoden, a field of stone pagodas, is filled with blooming bellflowers. Gango-ji Temple was originally established by Soga no Umako in Asuka as Hōkō-ji Temple, which was the oldest and most authentic Buddhist temple in Japan. It was relocated to the capital city of Heijō-kyō (Nara) during the transfer of the capital. At the time of the relocation, it was considered one of the Seven Great Temples of Nanto, along with Todai-ji Temple and Kōfuku-ji Temple, and it was a large temple alongside them. However, since the capital moved to Kyoto in the Heian period, it gradually declined. As Pure Land Buddhism became rooted in the common people’s faith, Gango-ji Temple gained attention as a temple of popular devotion and has been cherished. Currently, the main hall, Gokuraku-do, the Zen meditation room, and the five-story pagoda are designated as national treasures, and numerous cultural properties are registered as important cultural assets of the country. In 1998 (Heisei 10), along with Todai-ji Temple, Kōfuku-ji Temple, Yakushi-ji Temple, and others, Gango-ji Temple was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gango-ji Temple uses some of the “oldest roof tiles in Japan” from the time of Hōkō-ji Temple’s construction, and it is said to be the beginning of roof tile architecture in our country.

JR奈良駅から東に徒歩20分、木々に囲まれた古刹元興寺があります。東門を入った正面には国宝の極楽堂があって、この時期、その前にはハスを植えた沢山な鉢が並んでいます。まだしっかり咲いている花の中心には、小さなハスの実が顔をのぞかせています。極楽堂を裏に回ると、これも国宝の禅堂があって、その前の石塔群が並んだ浮図田(ふとでん)には、桔梗が咲き乱れています。元興寺は、蘇我馬子が飛鳥に建立した日本最古の本格的仏教寺院である法興寺(飛鳥寺)を、平城京遷都に伴って平城京内に移転した寺院です。移転時は南都七大寺の一つに数えられ、東大寺や興福寺と並ぶ大寺院でした。都が京に移った平安時代以降、衰退の一路をたどりましたが、浄土信仰が庶民のものとして根づいてゆくにつれ、庶民信仰のお寺として注目されるようになり大切にされてきました。現在、本堂「極楽坊」や禅室、五重小塔は国宝に指定されており、多数の所蔵品が国の重要文化財になっています。１９９８年（平成１０年）には、東大寺や興福寺、薬師寺などとともにユネスコの世界遺産に登録されることになりました。元興寺には、法興寺の創建当時の「日本最古の瓦」が一部使われていて、わが国における瓦屋根を用いた建築の始まりと言われています。