Nara Prefecture is located south-east of Osaka and was once the capital of Japan. Many ancient tombs and ruins have been excavated there. The main tourist attraction is Todaiji temple which houses one of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha. In the outskirts of Nara, there are plenty of attractions such as the Kōfukuji temple, Shinyakushiji temple, and the Harushika Sake Brewery. You could easily spend an entire day there. While if you venture a little way away there is the town of Ikaruga, which is connected to Prince Shōtoku. There you can visit the three temples, Hōryūji, Hōrinji, and Hokkiji. Nara has many mountains and the climate varying greatly between the mountains and the plains, with the mountains getting particularly cold. One such mountain is Mount Yoshino, which is well-known for its cherry blossom trees. In Spring the entire side of the mountain is covered in cherry blossoms. Close by there is the wooden Kinpusenji temple and the Nyorinji temple which was constructed several centuries ago.