Nara City: Todaiji Temple and Deer Park
After a long working week in Kobe, it’s always nice to take a quick train ride out of the city for some sightseeing. Since I’ve been to Kyoto and Osaka, both about 1.5 hours away by train, I decided to go to Nara for the weekend upon Linfred’s recommendation.Nara brings back memories of my Japanese art class in Ateneo a long, long time ago (Don't laugh, I learned how to do ikebana!). Not really memories, since I only vaguely remember bits and pieces. What I do remember is that Nara was the first capital that was established in Japan and that it was thanks to Prince Shotoku (that I know from the guidebook) that Buddhism was brought in from China. So expect to see a lot of UNESCO-listed temples and Buddha statues, some of which are 1300 years old.
And deer. Lots and lots of deer. The sights in Nara itself are all within walking distance, flanking and surrounding huge Nara park (660 hectares), where tame deer are allowed to roam freely.
Vendors from whom you can buy biscuits to feed the deer
So it seems as if everywhere you turn, there’s deer for you to pat or stroke or feed or touch. This is one of the most unique things about Nara and also one of the most enjoyable. One could easily imagine spending quite a bit of time just lounging in the park amidst the deer.
You looking at me kid?
Still afraid to go near him...
About 300 meters from the train station is the first of the major sights, Kokufu-ji temple. Of course, it had to be nice considering this was THE temple of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful clan in Japan for oh, just about 400 years.
Remember to cleanse properly before entering any temple in Japan. The "sinks" outside are provided especially for that purpose -- cleaning your hands and even for drinking. No gargling!
There is also a spot to hang your wishes, for a fee of course (100yen) and some of them can be quite strange... I'm so kyepo.
A museum on site has art inside which is worth a look, though without a guide, hard to appreciate on your own.
But this is just appetizer. The main highlight and grand-daddy of all Nara sights is the Todaiji Temple, the largest wooden structure in the world, despite being only two-thirds of its original size. The temple is quite amazing to see even just from the entrance.
Just the entrance
The temple!
Inside it houses the Daibutsu, a colossal statue of the Buddha, naturally the largest in Japan.
Another interesting thing to see is that they have a column with a small hole in the bottom. Apparently, if you can crawl through from one end to the other, you will have achieved enlightenment. There were a lot of very smart kids around that day. For grown-ups, some assistance may be required at the other end.
You can also get your fortune told at the entrance for about 100yen. Just shake a can, draw a number and voila, instant fortune. I got the "best of lucks" which is as good as it can get. :)
I’m not sure if it was a good thing that the sun was out on Saturday. Sure I was there at the beginning of the typhoon season, but I’m not sure a little cloud and rain wouldn’t have been better than the super-heat that day. As a result of that, I did skip Kasuga Grand Shrine. Though frankly, at the end of the day, I was getting quite a bit of temple fatigue as well.
Despite this, I trekked all the way to Horyuji temple, which is the 1st of any site in Japan to be listed in UNESCO. The site is 12km away and don't be fooled into taking a taxi -- this will force you into bankruptcy. There are buses and trains though travel time might take as long as 40minutes depending on the transport chosen.
These are the world's oldest surviving wooden structures, though I thought the ones I just saw were pretty old as well and roughly the same period.
Horyuji temple
The famous pagoda
This was a nice way to spend a lazy Saturday though I don't think serenity and peace really agrees with my type A personality. I was waiting for something more dramatic. :) If you're pressed for time, skip Horyuji and spend more time appreciating the grandeur of Todaiji.
posted by moan @ 5:46 PM
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