Nara Is a Place Where People Come for Vari- Ous Reasons and Stay to Work and Live
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Business Environment A Prefecture Where People Gather (Come, Work and Live) Nara is a place where people come for vari- ous reasons and stay to work and live. Nara prefecture, a region with the Nanto Bank Group at the Area: 3,690.94 km2 center of business, has a long history as a gathering place Population: Approx. 1.32 million 2 for people. Population density: 360 people/km Prefectural tree: Japanese cedar In the current coronavirus era, expectations for its immense Prefectural flower: Nara double cherry potential are growing. blossom Prefectural bird: Japanese robin As the birthplace of Japanese cultural history, Nara is still Prefectural office location: Nara home to many such splendid cultural heritage sites as Old regional name: Yamato Horyuji Temple, Yakushiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple and Todaiji Temple. Said to have marked the end of the Silk Road, Nara is a repository of cultures from around the world that prospered here mainly through its temples and shrines. The Nara Magistrate's Office, established during the Edo period under the direct control of the Shogunate, led the town’s development into a center of commerce and industry. Since the Meiji era, the railroad has connected Nara with Osaka and Kyoto, making the city with its abundance of shrines and temples a prosperous tourist destination. In recent years, transportation between Osaka/Kyoto and Nara has become even more convenient, leading to Nara’s remarkable development as a bedroom community. Horyuji Temple Yakushiji Temple Kofukuji Temple Todaiji Temple 14 Nanto Report 2020, the integrated report of Nanto Bank Nanto Report 2020, the integrated report of Nanto Bank Organizational overview Risks and and external environment opportunities People come World-class tourist destination National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties The many historical buildings in Nara provide ample tourism resources. 2,804 Tokyo 281 Although not a flashy town, Nara offers visitors an items opportunity to relax in an environment defined by an old Japanese Kyoto 234 2,187 items townscape and historic buildings. Besides the many centuries- Nara 203 1,327 items old buildings that remain here, Nara is home to large numbers of restaurants and general stores occupying old folk houses. This Shiga 56 823 items Nationwide National Treasures creates an atmosphere no other tourist destination can match. Osaka 62 677 items Important Cultural The economic effect of these historical assets is insufficient, 3rd plac Properties (including National Treasures) however, since Nara has the lowest number of overnight guests in Hyogo 21 468 items Japan. With the number of foreign tourists declining sharply due Wakayama 36 393 items to the impact of the pandemic, the proportion of foreigners among 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 its visitors is painfully low at about 13%. It is essential that we find ways of stimulating domestic demand. Source: Agency for Cultural Affairs, “Numbers of designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties by prefecture” People work History as a prosperous Number of factory and research laboratory locations commercial and industrial town In ancient times, Nara was a thriving hub of industries such as armor (item) (%) and sword-making and ink and medicine production. Also of note, 50 Number of locations 10.0 Number of locations the many shrines and temples such as Nanto Shichidaiji Temple 38 items fostered the craft of Nara bleaching for use in making costumes 40 National ratio 8.0 (right scale) 34 34 for monks and priests, which became immensely popular after the 32 craftsmen became purveyors to the Shogunate in the early Edo 30 27 6.0 26 26 25 25 23 period. It is said, however, that the emergence of guilds that refused 22 22 21 entry to outsiders stifled opportunities for technological progress. 20 3.36 3.06 3.32 4.0 National ratio Today, Nara prefecture is engaged in active efforts to attract 2.30 Number of locations 3.26 businesses, and the number of new business locations here was 32 10 2.48 2.40 2.0 in FY2019, the eighth most in Japan and second most among the 1.58 1.85 1.211.43 1.32 1.37 seven prefectures in the Kinki region, including Fukui prefecture. 0 0.0 With the dissemination of teleworking and other new 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 workstyles today, it is expected that many people employed outside their home prefectures will return to their hometowns, and that full- Source: “Factory Location Trend Survey,” Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry time housewives will return to the work force. People live Employment rate of people from outside the prefecture Development as a bedroom (2015) community 50 The Nara Basin is located in northwestern Nara Prefecture. Its 2nd place close proximity to Osaka has attracted housing development, 40 making it a high-appeal bedroom community for Osaka and 28.8% Kyoto. 30 New towns have also been developed in the hills 20 surrounding the basin (including the towns of Keihanna Hills, Akajin Hills, Yada Hills and Mami Hills). 10 If proximity to work is no longer necessary for residence in the new normal era, Nara prefecture’s abundant historical, cultural 0 Mie Gifu Oita Aichi Akita Saga Fukui Iwate Shiga Kochi Chiba Kyoto Tokyo Ehime Nara Miyagi Osaka Tottori Ibaraki Hyogo Niigata Aomori and natural heritage; its relative freedom from earthquakes and Tochigi Gunma Nagano Toyama Saitama Kagawa Miyazaki Fukuoka Okinawa Shimane Shizuoka Nagasaki Hokkaido Okayama Ishiskawa Hiroshima Yamagata Kanagawa Fukushima Tokushima Yamanashi Kumamoto Wakayama Yamaguchi other disasters; and its stable, temperate weather, promise to Kagoshima make it even more attractive as place to live. Source: “2015 Census,” Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Nanto Report 2020, the integrated report of Nanto Bank Nanto Report 2020, the integrated report of Nanto Bank 15.