Where: Nara
Words: I never found time to write a Nara post, so you'll get a side dish of anecdotes with your serving of photos today.
The Deer
Nara is famous for three main reasons: age, the world's biggest buddha, and the pack of wild deer wandering freely through the city. They're mangy but friendly, and they have a truly freaky tendency to bow at you when they want to say hello and/or eat your food.
Also, they can stare you down.
Nara is famous for three main reasons: age, the world's biggest buddha, and the pack of wild deer wandering freely through the city. They're mangy but friendly, and they have a truly freaky tendency to bow at you when they want to say hello and/or eat your food.
Also, they can stare you down.
When the deer need to cross, they need to cross.
Be wise and stay out of their way—unless you have a huge supply of snacks.
Isuien Garden
We almost skipped Isuien on the way to more famous sights, but it wound up being one of my favorite places to photograph in Japan.
"if you would like to drink green powdered tea,please hit the board to let us know"
The sky looks ominous here, but it was a sunny, brisk, perfect day.
Todaji Temple
The crowds were hectic at some sights in Nara, but they thinned out on the approach to the buddha. Or it could just be relative, since he's made of gold and outweighs everyone in this picture by a few tons.
Before you enter the temple, you can stop at a cleansing station to wash your hands or take a drink.
The buddha himself is way too large and poorly lit to photograph without fancy equipment, but the little metal insects around his feet are more cooperative.
This next guy sits near the temple entrance, glowering in red-hoodied splendor. But it turns out he's benevolent—if you touch the part of his body that corresponds with any damaged or painful part of your body, you'll be healed.
I gave him a little pat on the lower back, but my guess is he doesn't have to spend nine hours a day at a computer. We'll see if he comes through for me.
I don't remember where we saw this bell, but it was beyond enormous. For a small city, Nara has an impressive collection of "world's biggest ____."
Nigatsu Hall
On the walk back to the train station, we visited a few pagodas. When I went to photograph this one, a small, middle-aged Japanese woman grabbed my arm with sumo strength and made me crouch down just so to get the right picture—the same one she'd taken a moment before.
"You have to get the cherry blossoms," she insisted. And here they are:
We tipped our hats to Nara's guardian on the way out.
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