🦌✨ Discover the enchantment of Nara: Ancient Traditions and Sacred Deer! 🏯🌸 Immerse yourself in Japan's rich cultural heritage and witness the awe-inspiring Tōdai-ji Temple with its iconic Great Buddha. Interact with the gentle sacred deer of Nara Park, considered messengers of the gods 🌳💫. Explore serene temples like Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Hōryū-ji, one of the world's oldest wooden structures.

🍣🍡 Don't miss Nara's delectable cuisine, try kakinoha-zushi or warm kudzu mochi! 🍵🍂 Wander through Naramachi's traditional streets, or step back in time at Yoshikien Garden. 🏰🌳 Experience the magic and harmony between humans and nature in this captivating city.

What to do in Nara? / Top 10 Sightseeing Spots in Nara

For the ultimate Nara adventure, follow our Top 10 Sightseeing spots! 🏞️🦌 From the Soni Highlands to the majestic cherry blossoms of Mt. Yoshino, these spots will leave you in awe! 🌸🌟

Plan your unforgettable Nara trip with our 1-3 day itinerary, and let the ancient traditions and natural wonders embrace your heart! 🗺️❤️

Perfect harmony with the wild

Freehold, NJ: From Lenape Homeland to Colonial Crossroads

Long before colonial maps marked the region as “Freehold,” the area was part of the ancestral homeland of the Lenni Lenape, specifically the Unami-speaking clans. These Indigenous people lived in small, kin-based communities, moving seasonally along the Manalapan and Matchaponix rivers, hunting, fishing, and cultivating crops like corn, beans, and squash. The Burlington Path, a major Lenape trail, passed directly through what is now Freehold Township.

In 1609, Henry Hudson’s voyage along the coast marked the beginning of European interest in the region. By the 1660s, the land was claimed by the English Crown and granted to Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley. The Monmouth Patent of 1665 opened the area to settlers, and by 1685, Scottish Presbyterians fleeing religious persecution had established homesteads in Freehold.

The name “Freehold” itself comes from an English legal term for land ownership, reflecting the settlers’ desire for permanent, fee-simple property rights—a stark contrast to the Lenape’s communal land ethic. Despite early peaceful interactions, the Lenape were gradually displaced through land sales, treaties, and pressure, though New Jersey is notable for having acquired land through negotiation rather than outright conquest.

By 1693, Freehold was officially chartered as one of Monmouth County’s original townships. It became the county seat in 1715, and its courthouse would later serve as a rallying point for Revolutionary War patriots. The Battle of Monmouth in 1778, fought just outside town, was one of the war’s largest and most pivotal engagements.

Assassin's Creed Legacy: The Wrath of the Yakuza

Tapir in a peaceful natural setting, calm and serene