Old History, New Discovery（from Nara Shimindayori）

"Old History, New Discovery." 

Have you seen this phrase?
It is a "slogan to express what Nara City is!"
This slogan was published in July in hopes of finding possible solutions to the problems the city faces.

Who Made This Slogan?

The slogan was developed in collaboration with students at Ichijo Junior High School.
About 80 students in total participated in a workshop project last summer that was promoted by Nadya Kirillova to express the charm of Nara from various angles.
As a result, more than 1,000 slogans were created.

Then many discussions were held among volunteer guide associations and foreign city residents. Finally, the phrase, "Old History, New Discovery" was chosen.
As mentioned above, the process was unique.
Junior high school students played the most important role in developing the phrase.

This slogan has space where you may freely add your own new discoveries in Nara.
Let's describe these newly-discovered charms in the blank area and promote them through social media, such as Instagram.

What Does the Phrase "Old History, New Discovery." Mean?

The ancient capital, Nara, is surrounded by rich nature and is nurtured by the eternal history in which the city has pride.
As a termination point of the Silk Road, Nara has roots which accept many foreign cultures and incorporate them into our own.
More than 1,000 years have passed since the Nara era flourished, and even now, human exchange has continued through new cultural spots and events, traditional artwork, food, and new findings, taking advantage of the landscape and culture of the ancient capital.
With this slogan let us introduce the depth of Nara to people all over the world and rediscover the charm of and increase the sense of attachment to the city.
With the use of Instagram or other social media, we can share Nara’s charm, including plenty of interesting
spots, attractions, and experiences waiting for your visit, and information about newly opened hotels, Japanese inns and guest houses welcoming international tourists.

#oldnewnara

Let’s send messages and photos about new discoveries in the city using the hashtag “#oldnewnara”, and your message may appear on digital signboards at the city’s stations.

＜外部リンク＞

What is the #oldnewnara of Hannyaji?

Hannyaji (Temple) in Nara City dates back to the early 7th century.
It is now famous as a temple of hydrangeas.
Outstandingly beautiful photographs of hydrangea flowers in glass balls have attracted more and more people on Instagram these days.

Interview Mr. Kennin Kudo 

Mr. Kudo works as a priest at that temple.
He has quite a unique career.
He was once a professional boxer.
After he decided to devote his life as a Buddhist monk, however, he noticed the indispensability of having a website, even for temples, to spread information online, and taught himself about website design, photo-taking, and SNS management.

“The hydrangea flowers were too beautiful to just throw away. So I put full-blown hydrangea flowers in glass bowls, and kept their gorgeous beauty in photographs. Then, I unintentionally posted those photos on Instagram and got a surprisingly huge reaction. The number of visitors to our temple increased more than tenfold in one month.”

“I do not know what to do to increase likes. But you never know unless you try. As I work for a Buddhist temple, I do try new things to cherish its history so that my temple could fascinate people of all ages.”

Message from Nadya Kirillova, Facilitator for This Slogan-making Project

“History” and “Discovery” are ordinary words. We use both in our daily conversation.
But these two well describe the city of Nara.
Nara City has sophisticated corners with fashionable stores, suitable to today’s modern lifestyles.
It also boasts authentic crafts like the nation’s largest iron sword, 2.37 meters in length with a serpentine blade.
It was excavated in November 2022, at Japan’s largest circular burial mound from the late 4th century, located in west Nara.
This is also a good example of a New Discovery.
I mean that discovery signifies both the result of modern technological advancement and historical uncovering from the ancient times. Embrace archaeological disclosure, as it definitely teaches us about Nara’s evolutionary uniqueness.

Nadya Kirillova

Copy writer, picture book writer, and education lecturer in educational field.
Born in the present-day Saint Petersburg, Russia, and educated in six nations including the UK, US, and Canada in her childhood.
Awarded as the world’s No.1 copy writer in 2015.
Worked as a judge for various advertising/design awards in Japan and abroad.