Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

File photo taken on April 19, 2026, shows the Fujiwara Palace site (front) in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan. A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

File photo taken on April 20, 2026, shows the Asuka Palace site in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan. A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Ruins of ancient tile kiln found in western Japan

Ruins of ancient tile kiln found in western Japan

KASHIHARA, Japan - A man holds a round tile of the same design as the one used for the main palace of the imperial capital Fujiwara-kyo (694-710) in Takatori, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 18, 2014. The kiln in the back is believed to have been used for making tiles for the palace.

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji in the Kita district of Kyoto city. A view of Kinkakuji Temple with the three-story building reflected on the surface of the Kyoko Pond. The first floor is done in shinden zukuri (Fujiwara palace style), the second is in Shoin zukuri (drawing-room style) and the third floor where the Buddha is enshrined is in Chinese style. The second and third floors are covered in gold, and thus the name of Kinkaku (Golden Pavilion). To the left is Ashibara island and Nakajima.==Date:unknown, Place:Kyoto, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number9‐30‐0]

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji in the Kita district of Kyoto city. The temple was a mountain cottage of the Saionji family from the Kamakura to the Nanboku period. It was bought by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as his retirement spot . A garden with Kyoko Pond in the center. The shariden (the receptacle of Buddha's ashes) built by the pond can be seen to the left. The first floor of the shariden was made in shinden tsukuri (palace of the Fujiwara style of architecture), the second floor is of shoin tsukuri (drawing room style), and the third floor is done in Chinese style enshrining the Buddha. The second and third floors are covered with gold, thus the name of Kinkaku(Golden Pavilion). To the left are the garden stones and the pine of the bank to the right.==Date:unknown, Place:Kyoto, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number5‐44‐0]

Lotus flowers in full bloom

Lotus flowers in full bloom

Lotus flowers are in full bloom at a pond in Fujiwara Palace Ruins in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on July 23, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Lotus flowers in full bloom

Lotus flowers in full bloom

Lotus flowers are in full bloom at a pond in Fujiwara Palace Ruins in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on July 23, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo