Editing Nara Prefecture (section)

==Culture==
[[File:NaraTodaijiStatue0214.jpg|thumb|Statue at Tōdai-ji]]
The culture of Nara is tied to the Kansai region in which it is located. However, like each of the other prefectures of Kansai, Nara has unique aspects to its culture, parts of which stem from its long history dating back to the Nara period.

===Dialect===
There are large differences in dialect between the north/central region of the prefecture, where Nara city is located, and the Okunoya district in the south. The north/central dialect is close to Osaka's dialect, whilst Okunoya's dialect favours a Tokyo-style accent. The lengthening of vowel sounds in the Okunoya dialect is unseen in other dialects of the [[Kinki region]], making it a special feature.

===Food culture===
Foods particular to Nara Prefecture include:
*{{ill|Chagayu|ja|茶粥}}, a [[rice congee|rice porridge]] made with green tea
*{{ill|Kakinoha zushi|ja|柿の葉寿司}}, sushi wrapped in [[persimmon]] leaves
*{{ill|Meharizushi|ja|めはり寿司}}, [[rice ball]]s wrapped in pickled ''[[Brassica juncea|takana]]'' leaves
*Miwa [[sōmen]], a type of wheat noodle
*[[Kasuzuke|Narazuke]], a method of pickling vegetables

===Traditional arts===
The following are recognized by the [[Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)|Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry]] as being traditional arts of Nara:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansai.meti.go.jp/3-5sangyo/densan_page/santi_nara.html|title=奈良県の産地紹介|trans-title=Introduction to Nara Prefecture's Items|language=ja|date=2004|publisher=[[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)|METI]]|access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansai.meti.go.jp/3-5sangyo/densan_page/santi_nara.pdf|title=奈良県の産地|trans-title=Nara Prefecture's Items|publisher=[[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)|METI]]|access-date=8 July 2015}}</ref>
*Nara [[Japanese calligraphy|Calligraphy Brush]] (Stationery category, recognized in 1977)
*[[Ikoma, Nara|Takayama]] [[Japanese tea ceremony#Equipment|Tea Whisk]] (Bamboo item category, recognized in 1975)

===Museums===
*[[Heijō Palace#Museum|Heijō Palace Museum]]
*[[:ja:奈良県立橿原考古学研究所|Kashihara Archaeological Institute Museum]]
*[[Nara National Museum]]
*[[:ja:奈良県立美術館|Nara Prefectural Museum of Art]]