Nara (2016, October)
Nara is about an hour's drive from Kyoto. Located in the Kansai region, it is home to many beautiful temples and shrines, and, like Kyoto, cultural/historical sites.
If you're curious to see the more (agri)cultural side of Japan, Nara is a wonderful choice.
If you're curious to see the more (agri)cultural side of Japan, Nara is a wonderful choice.
Itinerary
See: Check out the map I used for the whole trip here.
Apparently Nara is as touristy as Kyoto, but very few tourists spend a full day here; the lack of trains/buses connecting Nara to other towns/cities makes it difficult for visitors to come to Nara if they do not have a car. Most non-locals come to Nara with tour groups.
Toudai-Ji temple
Our first stop is Toudai-Ji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site which houses some of the biggest Buddha statues in the world.
The structure of the temple is not new: although the temple was originally constructed hundreds of years ago, it was almost completely destroyed by fire twice before.
One of the things that confused me the most when I was inside the temple was wooden pillar with a hole at the bottom. I saw several schoolkids try to go through it (with the excitement and encouragement of onlookers), but I didn't understand what was going on. When I got back, I learnt that the opening is apparently the size of the large Buddha statue's nostril, and those who manage to go through it "will be granted enlightenment in their next life"!
Nara Deer Park
Toudai-Ji is just next door to a deer park. In fact, we had to walk through the park to get to the temple (didn't get to take any pics of it when we first entered though, because we were rushing).
Deer are considered sacred animals in Nara. There are thousands of them living in forests, and because they are highly regarded here, there are many protection laws for them. You can get into real legal trouble if you hurt them, e.g. if you were to hit them on the road.
Those who come here can buy special biscuits to feed the deer with, but I didn't buy any because we didn't have much time to dawdle at the area. (Also, our tourguide advised us that the deer here can be a bit aggressive so I didn't want to cause a scene, heheh.)
In retrospect though, all the deer I saw in the park seemed either tired, sleepy and/or shy, like the one in the pic above. :)
In retrospect though, all the deer I saw in the park seemed either tired, sleepy and/or shy, like the one in the pic above. :)
Although the Toudai-ji/deer park area is incredibly crowded (read: touristy), there is a certain calmness to be found here. However, if you do come, do be sure to look where you're walking... because there is a lot of deer droppings everywhere! Heheh.
Kasuga Shrine
According to Japanese censuses, most Japanese are Buddhist, Shintoist, or both. Buddhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Siddharta Gautama Buddha from India; Shintoism is a native religion in Japan. An obvious difference between these two is that while Buddhists go to temples for worshipping, Shintoists go to shrines.
One of the things I learnt from my experience in Nara (partly through my tourguide), is what Shinto-Buddhism actually is.
I used to think that Shintoists are people who worship their ancestors, but after a bit of reading, I learnt that Shintoists are actually polytheists that worship kami (gods) that may reside in natural objects like mountains, stones, and trees... which explains why Shinto shrines are usually built on/around these kinds of elements. From what I understand, Shinto is different from animism because these objects themselves are not worshipped, but rather the kami contained within. Interesting.
Shinto shrines have at least one red wooden arch - at the entrance, and sometimes a few more inside - called torii, to mark that you will be entering a sacred Shinto shrine rather than a Buddhist temple. Going through one would mean that you are 'cleansed/purified' of your sins. Before you go through the arch, you have to do a small purification act, the same way you would before entering a Buddhist temple.
This shrine in particular is surrounded by lush greenery. Going inside made me feel like I was entering a magical, mystical place; it felt serene, but almost haunting in a way.
It started to rain heavily halfway through the tour though, so after we arrived at the centre of the shrine where prayers are made by the worshippers, we headed back to the bus as soon as the rain got lighter because it was getting dark.
Expenses
The return-trip from Kyoto and Nara (i.e. Kyoto-Nara-Kyoto busrides) and the admission prices of the places we visited in Nara were included in JTB Sunrise's 1-Day Kyoto-Nara tour for 14,700yen/person.
If you're pressed for time in Japan, this may be good for a teaser trip of what Kyoto/Nara offers... but do be aware that it is not a leisurely tour by any means! My elderly parents were knackered towards the end of the trip, and my mom even skipped two of the items in the whole Kyoto/Nara itinerary because her weak knees couldn't take the amount of rushing involved.
Also, for the record, I didn't buy any food, drink, or even any souvenir from Nara because I barely had enough time to. Although our tourbus did stop by a souvenir store on the way back to Kyoto, I was exhausted and only got off the bus when we reached the train station to go back to Tokyo. By the time I reached the hotel, I pretty much passed out.
In summary:
- Guided tour + transportation to and from Kyoto (*Kyoto-Nara tour package)/pax = 14,700yen
So yeah.
For more info on travelling in Nara, including transportation options and admission prices, do check out Japan Guide's site on this or wikitravel.
Last Updated: 2016-11-07
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