What you'll hear inside Nara National Museum:

• 1
  Original Museum Building

  A historic building from 1894 designed by Katayama Tōkuma in French Renaissance style, designated as an Important Cultural Property.

• 2
  East Wing

  Exhibition wing opened in 1997, designed by Junzō Yoshimura with architectural style consistent with the West Wing.

• 3
  West Wing

  Exhibition wing completed in 1972, designed by Junzō Yoshimura to expand the museum's exhibition space.

• 4
  Hell Scroll (Jigoku Zōshi) — National Treasure

  A celebrated twelfth-century scroll featuring detailed depictions of the Buddhist hells, and one of the museum's most significant works.

• 5
  Seated Yakushi Buddha

  A ninth-century seated sculpture of Yakushi Buddha, the Medicine Buddha, representing an exceptional example of early Buddhist sculpture.

• 6
  Mandala Jōdo

  An 11th–12th century mandala depicting the Pure Land, a fundamental work of Japanese Buddhist art.

• 7
  Hassoan Tea House

  A historic tea house from the mid-Edo period, nestled within an inner garden and regarded as one of Nara's Three Great Tea Houses.

• 8
  Underground Passage

  A 150-metre corridor connecting the exhibition wings, featuring display cases with explanatory panels on the construction techniques of Buddhist sculptures.

• 9
  Buddhist Art Library

  A public research centre housing books, replicas, photographs and archival materials on Buddhist art.