Regional Information Nara

Nara Prefecture has valuable historical assets and rich nature including three World Heritage sites: Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, and Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. Although it is a tourist destination and approximately 35 million people visit annually, the number of hotels and guest rooms are not enough to satisfy the needs of visitors.
Not to make the success of the events held in 2010 to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the Nara Heijo-kyo capital being just a one-off event, the prefectural government is promoting post-1,300th anniversary programs to attract many tourists to Nara. The prefectural government is aiming to make Nara a “prefecture of tourist destination where visitors can be really into it and enjoy”.

Despite having a good access to major cities, Nara Prefecture offers lower land prices in comparison to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, and can therefore reduce costs including rent and personnel expenses. The prefecture also promotes proactive invitation of information communication businesses. Narayama Research Park and Takayama Science Plaza are particularly available as locations of information and communications businesses, providing flexible support to meet companies' needs.

Kansai Science City, located in the northern part of the prefecture, has a cluster of various types of research facilities and an array of research institutions such as NEC and Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Vigorous research activities are carried out, and numerous results have been achieved through industry–academy–government collaborations.
Regarding technicians and engineers, the following educational institutions are playing a part of the development of human resources: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara National College of Technology, Nara Women's University (Faculty of Science), Kinki University (Faculty of Agriculture), Nara Prefectural High School and Vocational College, Employment and Resources Development Organization of NARA and Nara Prefectural Agricultural Junior College, etc.

Tapping in the cluster of renewable energy-related technologies cultivated in Nara Prefecture such as photo voltaic power generation, the prefecture is working on new energy and environmental technologies. Nara Prefecture Energy Vision instituted in FY2012, which is aimed at spreading various renewable energies, is paving the way for more companies in energy / environmental technologies to locate in the prefecture. Nara is expected to have further developed the cluster of technology creation industries.

Kansai Science City, located in the northern part of the prefecture, has a cluster of various types of research facilities and an array of research institutions such as the Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Vigorous research activities are carried out and numerous results have been achieved through industry–academy–government collaborations.
Regarding technicians and engineers, the following educational institutions are working on the development of human resources: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara National College of Technology, Nara Women's University (Faculty of Science), Kinki University (Faculty of Agriculture), Nara Prefectural High School and Vocational College, Employment and Resources Development Organization of NARA and other institutions.