We explored a city called Nara today. Compared to Osaka and Kyoto, it was a more residential area. It was quieter and had a slower pace to it. When we got to the city we walked down this street full of shops and visited two different temples. The first place was Kofukuji temple. It had a gigantic five tier pagoda and when I tried to get a picture in front of it, I looked like an ant. Just a teeny weenie tiny little human. What’s really crazy is that it was built and restored BEFORE the thought of America even existed.
See what I mean? Peanuts. The entire temple didn’t even make it into the picture.
One of the streets in Nara. Really cool place.
Before climbing the stairs to the temple grounds, there was a cemetery and each headstone had a cup of tea in front of it.
There was another purification station at the temple but tell me this doesn’t look like Mushu from Mulan!
The pagoda was honestly a really impressive structure.
Serious. Very serious people.
The temple of Kofukuji. There are a lot of orange temples in Japan.
The second place we visited was the shrine of one of the biggest Buddhas in Japan. Let me tell you, it was enormous. The temple was called Todai-ji and for the record, seeing a giant Buddha was the entire reason I was stoked for this trip. It was mammoth. The temple itself is the largest wooden structure in the world. Basically, there was nothing about this temple that wasn’t impressive. The statue of the Buddha was probably taller than a football field. I’m going to put some pictures but they’re not even close to how incredible it was. I’m telling you- if you ever make it to Japan, you have got to make it apparent to see the temple of a thousand Buddhas in Kyoto and the Buddha statue in Todai-ji temple in Nara. Point, blank, period.
The largest wooden structure in the world was renovated to be 33% smaller than the original. Believe me, you would never know.
This was my favorite. My entire life has led up to this Buddha.
This is the scale of the actual buddha’s hand on the statue.
I cannot get over this Buddha.
Even the decor statues around the Buddha were incredible.
Nara was such a chill place that these two enormous structures just rest in the middle of the city. That seems nuts to me to just live by these incredible places and see them everyday. Okay, but the equal best/worst part of this city is the deer. Yeah, the deer. Probably hundreds of deer run amuck throughout the city. I’m not kidding, people buy biscuits and feed the deer. They pet the deer. They take pictures with the deer. They get bullied by the deer when they run out of food. Then the deer go wild and shred your bag to get into the food you didn’t even know you had. Besides the dirt, aggressive behavior, and mass amounts of poop, the deer are just grand.
The deer booked it into the streets and the cars slammed their breaks. There are powerful creatures ruling Nara, without an iron fist (deer don’t have thumbs.)
Throughout all of Japan the sewer heads have been so intricate. Nara included.
I seem to be a little angry about the deer- I’d say we aren’t friends. I tried to pet a deer and I was almost died in the process. It’s like the episode of Spongebob when Gary hangs out with Patrick to get the cookie in his shorts. “HE ONLY LIKED ME FOR MY SHORTS.” That was my day with the deer.
I worked up the guts to pet the deer, and it tried to kill me.
I’m not kidding when I say that beast gnawed a hole through my bag..and my heart.
I’m really banking on there being no deer tomorrow. Although, when we were standing in Nara park all of a sudden ALL of the deer just took off together in a herd towards the forest. It was like a combination of an olympic marathon and the stampede in the Lion King. Truthfully, if I never see a deer up close again, I wouldn’t be too upset about it.
They sell shampoo in bags at the drug store.
Just hanging’ out with the boyfriend.
Maybe it’s because I think regular cemeteries are cool, but the cemeteries in Japan are a whole new level of amazing.
These guys were slamming these huge wooden hammers into this green candy dough while chanting. The candy has an acquired taste and it’s one that I don’t have.
Stay weird.
Ally
Current snack- peanut butter and crackers