Sakurai, Nara

Sakurai 桜井市
Ceety
View o Omiwa Shrine, ane o sightseein spots in Sakurai
Location o Sakurai in Nara Prefectur
Sakurai
Coordinates: 34°31′N 135°51′E
Kintra	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefectur	Nara Prefectur
Govrenment
• Mayor	Akira Hasegawa
Area
• Total	98.92 km2 (38.19 sq mi)
Population  (December 28, 2011)
• Total	60,705
• Density	613.68/km2 (1,589.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Staundart Time)
Postal code(s)	633-8585
- Tree	Cryptomeria
- Flouer	Prunus jamasakura
Phone number	0744-42-9111
Address	432-1 Ōaza Ōdono 633-8585
Website	City of Sakurai

Sakurai (桜井市, Sakurai-shi) is a ceety in Nara, Japan.

As o 2007, the ceety haed an estimatit population o 63,321 wi a density o 630.01 bodies per km². The tot aurie is 98.92 km².

The ceety wis foondit on September 1, 1956.

Sakurai is hame tae Ōmiwa Shrine, tradeetionally considered ane o the auoldest Shinto shrines in Japan dedicatit tae the god o sake. Sake dealers athort Japan aften hang a widden sugi ball, made at Ōmiwa Shrine, as a talisman tae the god o sake. It features in Yukio Mishima's novel Runaway Horses.

Famous places

• Buddhist temples
  • Miwasanbyōdō-ji
  • Hase-dera
  • Asuka-dera
  • Tachibana-dera
  • Abemonju-in
  • Seirin-ji
• Shinto shrines
  • Ōmiwa Shrine
  • Tanzan Shrine
  • Kasayamakō Shrine
  • Tamatsura Shrine

Sister ceeties

In Japan

• Kumano, Mie
• Taisha, Shimane

Ootside Japan

• Chartres, Fraunce.

Freemit airtins

• (in Japanese) Official website Archived 2002-06-04 at the Wayback Machine