Sacred Deer

Nara is the first permanent capital of Japan. It was established in 710 and lasted as the capital for about 75 years, the resulting character of these circumstances is some magestic temples set in a quiet, less travelled location. The city is only a short 45 minute train ride from Kyoto, but because Kyoto has so many jems to tantalize tourists, few make the trip to Nara. In my opinion, the short ride is well worth the day to see it.

Shawn and I hopped on an early train out of Kyoto - we took the express by accident and had to fork over an extra 500 yen (something that we did frequently in the coming few days of train tripping). We arrived early while the city was still waking and found the bike rental shop. We were lucky to rent the last two bikes in the compound, to the chagrin of the line of foreign tourists behind us. Shawn's back tire had a slow leak and my front brake was toasted, but it didn't matter much because the city is pretty flat and easy riding.

The bikes were a great way to see Nara park, a huge greenspace in the east of the city where many of the most interesting temples and sights of the city reside. The sacred deer (see photo above) also live in the park. Shinto religion believes that deer are messengers of the gods, and so this herd has been revered for centuries and are even enjoy legal protection as "national treasures" and "important cultural property". They have been hand fed by tourists for long enough to be relatively domesticated and were a highlight of the visit. They didn't jump when you reached out to pet them, or push them, or when cars passed by narrowly missing them with their side mirrors. My advice, you can buy "deer crackers" and hand feed them, but it is much more fun to watch others get mauled by agressive deer. That way when you want to haul one over for a photo, they don't smell it on your hands and loose their minds.

Our first stop in the park was a 5 story pagoda (this was the first place that we met the sacred deer - you can see them in the foreground of this photo).


Our next stop was Todaji temple. It was built in the 8th century and claims to be the largest wood construction in the world. It houses a massive bronze Buddha that was cast in 752. This Buddha has seen its fair share of earthquakes and has even lost his head a time or two, but it has been restored and upkept beautifully and is a sight to see. The temple is guarded by what they claim is the largest wood carvings, they were impressive but sadly live behind chain fencing, probably to prevent bird nesting.






Stop number three was the Kasuga Shrine. A shinto shrine with over 3000 stone lanterns along the paths around the shrine. My only regret is not seeing this place at night with the lanterns lit up, maybe next visit I guess. This spot was wooded and provided a beautiful spot to get off the bikes and have a stroll in the forest.



We ended the day with a walk through the narrow street that are lined with shops peddaling everything from Hello Kitty in the arms of a giant Buddah, to tennis shoes and school uniforms. We had a great and easy day in Nara and I would put this close to the top of the list of destinations to see in Japan for anyone interesting in visiting.