Kasuga Taisha, located at the foot of the sacred Mt. Mikasa in Nara, is a Shinto shrine built in 768 to protect the Heijo-kyo capital. Since the Nara period, the main buildings have been reconstructed every two decades to restore the – power of the deities as well as to pass down the culture and architectural techniques to the next generations. This shrine features vermilion-colored pillars, wisteria flowers, and a total of 3,000 lanterns which are lit twice a year during the Mantoro Festival in February and August.
(奈良の神山御蓋山の麓に位置する春日大社は、768年に平城京鎮護のために創建された神社である。本殿は神の力の甦りと文化・建築技術の継承を目的に、奈良時代から今から今日に至るまで20年毎に造り替えられている。朱色の柱、藤の花、年に二度2月と8月の万燈籠 に灯される合計3,000基の燈籠が見所である)