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.
Heian Shrine is a scaled-down reproduction of the original Imperial palace (Daigoku-den) built in 794. Heian Shrine was first built in the late nineteenth century and the present wooden structure dates from 1979 after a fire in 1976 destroyed the original.