Nara

Last weekend we had a JCMU-sponsored trip to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, and the large Buddhist temple complex where one of the largest Buddhas in the world is held. Also the main temple structure is the largest wooden structure in the world (according to wikipedia).

We got up early in the morning to catch a 2-hour bus ride down to Nara. After sleeping a fair bit on the bus, we arrived and departed. Right at the entrance there were vendors selling "sembai" or biscuits for the tame deer roaming the park. These deer have been domesticated after years of tourists feeding them biscuits. However, if you don't keep moving you will soon have a gang of deer crowding around you for your biscuits; nudging, bumping, and biting to give you some encouragement.

Moving along down the long street, you first come to a large gate containing two very large Buddhist statues. Its hard to see the scale on some of my pictures, but if you can see a person in the picture, try and use that as a reference point.

Moving on , we entered through a side-gate in the wall around the main temple. Getting the first glimpse of the building was staggering. The scale just seemed wrong, we were about 1/2 a mile away, but the building already looked impressively big. As we got closer, it was staggering to see how large the building actually was.

You can see people walking into the temple here.

Moving inside, you immediately see the "Daibutsu" or Big Buddha. He is approx. 50 ft tall with his palm at 8 ft. tall. Its difficult to get a good picture because the entrance is so close to the Buddha, so you can find a better picture here.

On both sides of the Buddha, there are fierce-looking guardians. I'm not entirely sure the purpose (besides looking really cool), but they make for great pictures.

Around the edge of the temple vendors have set up shop and they sell all sorts of interesting trinkets, charms, pendants, gifts, and general touristy things. I saw charms for passing exams, good health, protection from traffic accidents, and many others.

Just to the right of the Buddha, there is a small pillar with a hole in the base that is said to be the same size as his nostril. This presents a challenge to many people to see if they can fit through Buddha's nostril. It is said to give you good luck and happiness in your next life.



After visiting the temple there was still plenty more to see in Nara. The temple grounds are gorgeous, and all the small shrines, temples, fountains, etc. are all very picturesque.

After a quick lunch at a "Okonomiyaki" (O-co-no-mi-ya-ki) place (think cabbage, egg, and pork pancake with barbecue sauce and mayonnaise, strange sounding but not all bad), we boarded the bus and went to another temple complex. By this time everyone was pretty tired, so I didn't really grab many pictures.

After about 5 hours of temple-seeing, we boarded the bus and had another 2 and a half hour ride home. All-in-all a pretty good day.