Because of this, the Northern Hemisphere of the planet has summer while the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter. It seems as strange for kids in Australia to imagine a white Christmas as it is for kids in New York to think of splashing in the pool in December.
The most recent Daibutsu-den built in 1709, although impressive, is a shadow of the original structure, the width being about 30 percent shorter. Also built around the middle of the 8th century, the original Shosoin, which is an architectural treasure in itself, served as the repository for the temple treasure.
The Daisen Kofun presumably entombs Emperor Nintoku, the 16th emperor of Japan, but since the early 1970s the Japanese government has restricted further archaeological research. The Daisen Kofun is one of many burial mounds in the Sakai City and the Osaka Prefecture. Forty seven kofun, including the Daisen Kofun, make up the Mozu Tumulus. The other kofun were built not by emperors but by other wealthy elites of a growing Japan.