Nara along with Kyoto possess most of Japan’s cultural heritage sites. In Nara alone there are 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first permanent capital of Japan was set up in 710 AD in Nara. It remained there only until 794. In the 500’s Buddhism first came to Japan and in the 600’s it began to spread throughout the country. By the time Nara was established as the capital Buddhism was already taking root in Japan and many temples had already been constructed in the area including the famous Horyuji. Horyuji (ji=temple) was one of the first large Buddhist temples to be built in Japan. It is also one of the oldest standing temples and its grounds supposedly house the “world’s oldest surviving wooden structures”. The emperor who planned to build it was very ill and hoped that his construction would bring him health. He died before ground was broken, but his son carried on his devotion and completed the temple. Before the construction of Horyuji, Buddhism was the religion of the nobles. Through the prince’s actions and the work of the temple Buddhism became popular amongst the commoners. This would have far reaching ramifications for the future of Buddhism in Japan. Another reason Horyuji is so famous is that it is the first location selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan. If you love history, you should visit both Kyoto and Nara as a joint trip. Many people do Nara as a day trip from Kyoto, but they are not able to do both Horyuji and Nara Park. We actually spent more time than the average traveler by staying three nights. This was unnecessary, but we were able to go at a slow relaxing pace.
Our first night in Nara we decided to take it easy and have an internet evening. So where better to go than Starbucks. Tim got a map from our hostel and asked for directions. We had two options to either pay 160 to take a train directly to Starbucks or to walk roughly 30 minutes. My lovely travel partners wanting to be cheap thought walking would be the better option. Let’s just say the map of Nara they hand out to all the tourists is not drawn to scale. It took us 50 minutes. Moral of the story: DON’T BE CHEAP.
The next day we headed to Horyuji. It is just three stations away from Nara JR Station, but also requires a bus to get to the temple itself. The temple was beautiful, but overrun by school groups. The entrance ticket included a small museum that has some nice Buddhist relics dating back as far as the 700’s. Unless you are a history buff or are really interested in Buddhism, I would recommend just visiting Nara Park.
The second day we headed to Nara Park. Nara is famous for two things: Deer and its big Buddha. As you approach the park there are many vendors selling deer feed for 150 Yen (1.50 USD). A local had advised us to not feed the deer at the entrance of the park. They tend to be a bit too aggressive. The more timid deer are deeper in the park and it is easier to only interact with one or two deer farther in opposed to the large groups at the gate. Right off the bat one of us who will remain unnamed was bitten by a female deer. She bit so hard that his love handle is now bruised. It was a nice memory I shall keep forever. I may be a bit dark and twisted inside.
We followed the trail straight for the most important site, Toda-ji Temple. This temple made Nara worth it. It is the world’s largest wooden structure and on a clear day is absolutely stunning. This is a must see in Japan. Warrant I do have a soft spot for big Buddhas (I also love the one in Hong Kong). The large building houses a Vairocana Buddha cast in Bronze and then plated in gold. It was first built in 752, but has been repaired throughout the centuries. Several earthquakes have led to its hands and head falling off. Thus, the current head was cast in the Edo Period. It is pretty obvious the head and body come from different centuries. That is ok because it is still a wonderful thing to behold. When I first stepped in, it took a while for my eyes to adjust past the dust in the air and to focus in on the black strong figure of the seated Buddha. He is flanked by two impressive statues of gold. Behind him stand two more statues of wood. There is a pillar with a hole (same size as the Buddha’s nostril) large enough for a young child. Supposedly anyone who can fit through the hole will obtain enlightenment. Quick push me through! Unfortunately, my imaginative third butt cheek Frankie prevented me from fitting. Perhaps I will share the back story on Frankie in the coming posts.
There are 12 sites we visited along the trail in the park. I am only going to mention two more Kofukuji and Kasuga Shrine. Kofukuji has two pagodas and is worth a photo stop. The interesting thing about this temple is that it was moved several times along with the changing of the seat of power (Kyoto - Asuka- Nara). Kasuga Shrine is famous for its stairways lined with stone lanterns. Both the shrine and temple were significant to the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwara were the true power behind the throne during the Heian Period and earlier. They did an excellent job of intermarrying their girls with the imperial family and thus most emperors owed them some form of familial loyalty.
Also, worthy of note is that you can pay a small fee to climb the hill behind the park. It provides beautiful views of Nara Park and the city. We didn’t do it mainly due to the overcast sky.
There are roughly 1,200 deer in the park. It is amazing how used to human interaction they are. They have no problem walking up and putting their nuzzle in your purse or nipping your pant leg just to say, “Hey, what you got?” We saw several males duking it out over what appeared to be prime real estate mud patches. It didn’t feel all that sanitary, but feeding the deer was fun.
We had some cool interactions with people. There were a ton of school groups with the assignment of speaking English with foreign tourists. They would approach and say, “Hello. Do you have a minute? My name is Taisuke and I am a student at Gifu Elementary School. Where are you from?” After we signed our names over our country on a world map, they would hand us origami or a bookmark. For some reason Myles was much more popular than Tim and I. What the heck? He looks Asian. Tim and I obviously look foreign. I guess they are drawn to his boyish smile like flies are drawn to dung. Yes, Myles I just compared you to dung. All the students were very sweet and it was great chatting with them. I saw several running from the hordes of deer in fear. I did take some pleasure in this. Again, I may be slightly twisted inside. We also met an Italian couple at our hostel. I almost had a heart attack when they told me they have to return to Italy on November 3rd for the start of olive picking season. Their family owns olive groves in Cortona. Even better he knows Frances Mayes!!!!! She wrote Under the Tuscan Sun. Watch the movie and you too will love Tuscany. His mother is also a professor of Art History in Rome. Stop! Just stop! I want to be Italian and pick olives while listening to my mother discuss postwar art finds. They offered to host me when I am back in Rome. Don’t worry, I am already planning my return J.
Our first night in Nara we decided to take it easy and have an internet evening. So where better to go than Starbucks. Tim got a map from our hostel and asked for directions. We had two options to either pay 160 to take a train directly to Starbucks or to walk roughly 30 minutes. My lovely travel partners wanting to be cheap thought walking would be the better option. Let’s just say the map of Nara they hand out to all the tourists is not drawn to scale. It took us 50 minutes. Moral of the story: DON’T BE CHEAP.
The next day we headed to Horyuji. It is just three stations away from Nara JR Station, but also requires a bus to get to the temple itself. The temple was beautiful, but overrun by school groups. The entrance ticket included a small museum that has some nice Buddhist relics dating back as far as the 700’s. Unless you are a history buff or are really interested in Buddhism, I would recommend just visiting Nara Park.
The second day we headed to Nara Park. Nara is famous for two things: Deer and its big Buddha. As you approach the park there are many vendors selling deer feed for 150 Yen (1.50 USD). A local had advised us to not feed the deer at the entrance of the park. They tend to be a bit too aggressive. The more timid deer are deeper in the park and it is easier to only interact with one or two deer farther in opposed to the large groups at the gate. Right off the bat one of us who will remain unnamed was bitten by a female deer. She bit so hard that his love handle is now bruised. It was a nice memory I shall keep forever. I may be a bit dark and twisted inside.
We followed the trail straight for the most important site, Toda-ji Temple. This temple made Nara worth it. It is the world’s largest wooden structure and on a clear day is absolutely stunning. This is a must see in Japan. Warrant I do have a soft spot for big Buddhas (I also love the one in Hong Kong). The large building houses a Vairocana Buddha cast in Bronze and then plated in gold. It was first built in 752, but has been repaired throughout the centuries. Several earthquakes have led to its hands and head falling off. Thus, the current head was cast in the Edo Period. It is pretty obvious the head and body come from different centuries. That is ok because it is still a wonderful thing to behold. When I first stepped in, it took a while for my eyes to adjust past the dust in the air and to focus in on the black strong figure of the seated Buddha. He is flanked by two impressive statues of gold. Behind him stand two more statues of wood. There is a pillar with a hole (same size as the Buddha’s nostril) large enough for a young child. Supposedly anyone who can fit through the hole will obtain enlightenment. Quick push me through! Unfortunately, my imaginative third butt cheek Frankie prevented me from fitting. Perhaps I will share the back story on Frankie in the coming posts.
There are 12 sites we visited along the trail in the park. I am only going to mention two more Kofukuji and Kasuga Shrine. Kofukuji has two pagodas and is worth a photo stop. The interesting thing about this temple is that it was moved several times along with the changing of the seat of power (Kyoto - Asuka- Nara). Kasuga Shrine is famous for its stairways lined with stone lanterns. Both the shrine and temple were significant to the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwara were the true power behind the throne during the Heian Period and earlier. They did an excellent job of intermarrying their girls with the imperial family and thus most emperors owed them some form of familial loyalty.
Also, worthy of note is that you can pay a small fee to climb the hill behind the park. It provides beautiful views of Nara Park and the city. We didn’t do it mainly due to the overcast sky.
There are roughly 1,200 deer in the park. It is amazing how used to human interaction they are. They have no problem walking up and putting their nuzzle in your purse or nipping your pant leg just to say, “Hey, what you got?” We saw several males duking it out over what appeared to be prime real estate mud patches. It didn’t feel all that sanitary, but feeding the deer was fun.
We had some cool interactions with people. There were a ton of school groups with the assignment of speaking English with foreign tourists. They would approach and say, “Hello. Do you have a minute? My name is Taisuke and I am a student at Gifu Elementary School. Where are you from?” After we signed our names over our country on a world map, they would hand us origami or a bookmark. For some reason Myles was much more popular than Tim and I. What the heck? He looks Asian. Tim and I obviously look foreign. I guess they are drawn to his boyish smile like flies are drawn to dung. Yes, Myles I just compared you to dung. All the students were very sweet and it was great chatting with them. I saw several running from the hordes of deer in fear. I did take some pleasure in this. Again, I may be slightly twisted inside. We also met an Italian couple at our hostel. I almost had a heart attack when they told me they have to return to Italy on November 3rd for the start of olive picking season. Their family owns olive groves in Cortona. Even better he knows Frances Mayes!!!!! She wrote Under the Tuscan Sun. Watch the movie and you too will love Tuscany. His mother is also a professor of Art History in Rome. Stop! Just stop! I want to be Italian and pick olives while listening to my mother discuss postwar art finds. They offered to host me when I am back in Rome. Don’t worry, I am already planning my return J.
