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We were up bright and early for breakfast
and ready to leave on the coach at 08:30 for Nara. There
was a curious arrangement at the back of the coach with
a wrap-round bench seat and table, at which we sat with
Elizabeth and David, the latter able to stretch out his
long legs. We were all very taken by the chandelier over
the table... |
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We arrived in Nara in two hours. It was founded in 710
as Japan's capital, which it remained for 74 years. We
went straight to the 1,300 acre Nara Park, where most
important buildings are located.
Some 1,000 shika deer roam the park, thought to be messengers
of the gods. They are used to humans and tend to ignore
them. Unless, of course, you buy the special deer biscuits,
in which case you are mobbed. Perhaps the signs gave a
clue of what was in store...
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We first visited
the Todai-ji temple, with its vast Buddah hall, subtemples,
halls, and pagodas. It was originally built in 752 by Emperor
Shomyo. |
| The Buddah Hall, built
in 1709, is the largest wooden building in the world, even
though it is one-third of the size of the building it replaced.
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The 16m high
bronze Buddah inside is the largest in the world. Originally
cast in 752, parts have been replaced over the years. The
head dates from 1692. The Buddah has, on either side, two
Tamonten (heavenly guardians) (middle picture). |
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| There was a bell tower |
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| Then, higher up in the complex, a massive Shinto
shrine. We were to find that most Buddhist temples would have
a Shinto shrine in the grounds, and vice versa. As Narumi-san
explained, "the Japanese like to keep their options open". |
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| There were good views from the shrine over Nara
city. |
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| As we left to go, we found there were some Korean
dancers by the temple entrance. |
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After a fascinating morning,
we climbed back on the coach and, having bought lunch in
a convenience store, ate on the trip back to Kyoto. We tried
sushi and Pocari Sweat. We do not recommend the latter -
it is as bad as it sounds. |
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Back in Kyoto,
we visited the Kiyomizu-dera temple where for 1,000 years
people have prayed to the 11-headed Kannon's image and drunk
from its spring. It was dusk and very, very busy. There
were some good views over Kyoto from the top |
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Just as we
were about to leave, three geishas arrived and took photographs
of each other on their mobile phones - an odd image of ancient
and modern which was so very Japanese. |
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That evening, we
were due to find a restaurant by ourselves. Chris
said he intended to go to a place where you deep fried
food at your table and would anyone like to come?
We all did - and were very grateful we did - it was
excellent and great fun. Possibly because the price
included as much as you could drink. |
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