Nara

Four of us went to Nara this weekend. It was a lot of fun, and really cool. As you can see the deer, which were originally sacred and now are deemed a National Treasure are quite friendly, know who feeds them and will walk right up to you. When I held my hand out to one, she decided to lick my hand. It tickled! Yes I washed my hand afterwards, but not before threatening to put my hand on Diego's face--he's not a big fan of animal kisses on his face it seems. Pobrecito. Also we saw this amazing vine that had grown right over the path. It kind of felt like we were walking in this ancient jungle as we walked through the forest in Nara. Of note: the bathrooms in the forest are way nicer than those near the largest of the temples. Toilets, instead of the Japanese-style porcelain hole in the ground, toilet paper and soap. It's a miracle! 

Okay, the big huge Buddha statue you see? Look closely it's not just the hand! Here is the stats on it and on the temple it stands in. "Todaji Temple was built in the Nara period (710-794 AD)....The chief object of worship is the Vairocana Buddha....is made from cast bronze, which was then plated with gold. the statue was consecreated in 752, but was damaged and repaired several times  in the following centures. The current hands of the statue were made in the Momoyama period (1568-1615) and the head was made in the Edo period (1615-1867). The Great Buddha Hall (which is the building it stands in) was burned in the fires of war in 1180 and 1567, and the current building is actually the third generation structure, which was built in the Edo period. the width of the current building is approximately 33% smaller than that of the original structure, but it still ranks as the largest wooden structure in the world."--entry ticket

Stats: Hall: 187 ft for "frontage, 165 ft for depth, 160 ft in height.

            Buddha: Heint of body 49 feet. Length of head 18 ft"

This thing was HUUUUGGEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! Nara was amazing, not just the temples. It was really beautiful. There's not a lot to see other than temples, so far as I could tell though. It really is a largely historical city, with little modern-day attractions. Didn't see any huge department stores. They are there for sure, they're just not the main attractions. 

Please, if you go to Nara remember: don't antagonize the baby deer. Mama will not like it. They've got charming little signs up, with way too much kanji for me to read, but with lovely mangas that I can read quite easily showing unhappy dear. And signs saying don't kill the deer, or the others will cry.

I found a great gift for someone when I was out. Nya Nya, I'm not telling! Lol. This next weekend I am going to spending two out of three days of it in Kyoto--the third day is reserved for the school international festival. Okaasan is going to Yokohama one day that weekend, so we'll see what happens with me regarding that. Guess that means I'll have to update again in a week! 

Jessi