Houryu-ji Temple, located in Nara prefecture, is the oldest wooden building in the world today. It is also one of the historical buildings remained from the Asuka Culture - one of oldest civilized culture in Japan. It is also known as Ikaruga-no-tera. Houryuu-ji was designated as a World Heritage site in Japan in 1993, the first of many other sites in Japan. It was funded in 607 during the Asuka period by Emperor Suiko and Prince Shoutoku, who were said to fulfill the deathbed wish of late Emperor Youmei, a father of Prince Shoutoku. The temple was burned to the ground in 670 and reconstructed in the early 8th century. Since then, it has been free from flames of wars or natural calamities and retains its original appearance. Walking through a pine-lined street leads to the Great South Gate (Nan-daimon). In the western Sai-in area, located in the center of Houryuu-ji complex, stands the Kondou, Main Hall, and Gojyuu-no-tou, the Five-Story Pagoda side by side. The Middle Gate (Naka-mon) and Lecture Hall (Daikou-dou) were connected and surrounded by a corridor. This arrangement, referred to as “ Houryuu-ji style”, is unique only to Horyuu-ji.  The temple site is vast, occupying a total of 187,000 square maters, and houses 19 historical buildings and other numerous cultural assets recognized as National Treasures or important Cultural Properties.  Indeed, Horyuu-ji is a world treasure that Japan can be proud of.