NARA — Celebrations to mark the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Nara's ancient capital of Heijokyo kicked off Saturday morning, the official start of an event officials hope will attract 2.5 million visitors to the historical site, especially restored for the event, and up to 12 million visitors to the prefecture over the span of the next year.
But officials are concerned the celebrations could fall flat due to inconvenient access to the site, a lack of nearby hotel rooms, competition for tourists from adjacent Kyoto and Osaka, and a less than enthusiastic reaction toward the celebrations among many Nara residents. The timing is also unfortunate, with the celebrations taking place amid an economic downturn.
An appearance by Sento-kun, the official mascot of the celebrations, and three tape-cutting ceremonies at different locations around the 131-hectare site took place on a chilly, cloudy Saturday morning. Nara Gov. Shogo Arai attended one of the tape-cutting events at the Heijokyo History Museum.