The wake up call came early this morning. After the ups and downs of yesterday (the ups Himeji Castle, the downs raw chicken) we were all still super tired and needed more sleep.
However, our ambitious guide (insert "me" here), had us up early for a good breakfast and an early train from Osaka Station to Shin-Osaka, which would then then take us to Nara. Well, I can proudly say that the breakfast part went off without a hitch...
Apparently I was still a little groggy. After breakfast we jumped on the local JR line from Osaka to Shin - Osaka (only one stop apart). When we got to Shin-Osaka I asked a JR employee where the train to Nara left from - "Osaka station". What the...... we sprinted to the platform to go back to Osaka station so we could catch the 8:43 to Nara. We arrived in time and jumped on the train that showed up at platform 1 at 8:41. Phew! Half way between the Osaka station and the first stop I checked the chart in the train to make sure we made the right connection (after all this is Japan and we jumped on a train 2 mins before the posted departure time). Sure enough we were on the wrong train. We jumped off at the first station, took the next train back to Osaka station and quietly waited for the 9:02 to Nara. Nobody's fault....
Upon arrival in Nara we were approached by a very nice Japanese lady offering to provide us with a 3.5 hour walking tour of Nara for 4000 Yen (~$44). Given my poor navigational start to the day, we jumped at the offer. That was easily one of the best decisions we have made all trip. Toshimi was amazing. She was super passionate about her job and the history of her birth town of Nara. We were joined on the tour by a very nice father and teenage son from San Diego, Alan and Alex.
From the train station we walked about 20 mins to the entrance of Nara-Koen (park). Immediately upon entering the park we were bombarded by deer. Wild, yet super tame, deer. The deer of Nara-Koen are as much a part of the history of the park as the Great Buddah statue. There are over 1200 "wild" deer that call Nara-Koen home. In pre-Buddist times the deer were considered messengers of the gods. Today they are protected and have status as National Treasures. Any harm brought about the deer is considered a serious crime. In ancient times killing a dear often led to execution. Thus, the Maddock's became quick friends with the deer.....
Fintan loves his new friends
The animal lover Bronwyn was in heaven
"He's just like Mouton! I wish we had a deer!"
Stacey arrives with more "gifts" for the "messengers of the gods"
How can you not love this dudes sweet look?
I think this used up 30 mins of our tour, and 750 Yen worth of deer friendly treats....
Back on the tour, the first site was the Five Storey Pagoda. Dating from 1426 this pagoda has burned down and been rebuilt no less then five times in its history. In Japan the pagoda was built and used by the Buddists as a place of worship and dedication to Buddah.
The woodwork is incredible. The pagoda is open to the public twice a year.
A Torii Gate leading into a Shinto Shrine. Shinto shrines and Buddist temples are often found in close proximity to each other in Japan.
A local vendor cooks up some sweet potatoes
A man praying outside Nandai-mon, the enormous gate leading to Daibutsu (Great Buddah)
Todai-ji Nandai-mon is the gate that leads to Todai-ji Daibutsu-den
The back side of the Todai-ji Nandai-mon gate
A second gate before Todai-ji Daibutsu-den
Todai-ji Daibutsu-den Hall
Todai-ji Daibutsu-den Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world. This building was built in 1709 and is only two thirds the size of the original!! The tiles that cover the roof of Todai-ji Daibutsu-den Hall are 13 kilos each, and in total weigh the equivalent of 2500 cars!!
The great Buddah statue of Todai-ji. This is one of the largest bronze figures in the world. It is over 16 meters high and consists of 437 tonnes of bronze and 130 kilos of gold! At one point in its history after the Daibutsu-den hall had burnt down, the Buddah sat outside for 12o years until a buddist monk raised enough money to rebuild the hall and get Buddah back indoors.
The gold guy is a monk in training that has not yet reached enlightenment, thus the glitter of gold and material items. There is a gold guy on either side of Buddah.
There are two large guardians that protect Buddah in the hall.
Towards the back of the Buddah statue there is a column with a hole cut into it (the cut is about the size of one of the statues nostrils). Legend has it that those that can fit through the hole are ensured enlightenment. For kids it ensures that they will have a sharp mind.
This guy was one of Buddah's 16 desciples, apparently he did something wrong and Buddah sent him outside of the hall (where he sits today). He was the desciple of healing, so legend has it that if you rub the part of your body that is hurt and rub his body in the same spot you will be healed. I was hoping I could rub his wallet....
I can quite honestly say that the Todai-ji Daibutsu-den (Hall) and the Daibutsu (Great Buddah) was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my life.
After that experience I was sure that our tour and our time at Nara was over, but I was wrong. From Todai-ji we walked up to the Nigatsu-do Hall (February Hall) to get an elevated view of Nara and enjoy a traditional green tea.
Nigatsu-do Hall (or February hall)
The shrine of February Hall where worshippers pray to a hidden Buddah
If a worshipper has a wish or prayer that they want to have come true, they grab one hundred of these sticks and do one hundred laps around the veranda of February Hall. After each lap is complete they put a stick into a wooden box.
About 500 meters south of Todai-ji is Kasuga Taisha, the Fujiwara family Shinto shrine which was founded in the 8th century.
There are over 3000 lanterns (1200 hanging and 1800 standing) at the Kasuga Taisha shrine.
After all was said and done, Toshimi was with us for almost 6 hrs. Nara is so rich in history that I don't think we would have done it justice by walking the route on our own, with a guide book in hand. Toshimi was telling me that she struggles daily to get people to join her on the guided tour. This experience has me thinking that we should try and find someone like Toshimi when we set out over the next 4 days to explore the 17 Unesco World Heritage sites located in Kyoto.
