Hi there!
It was a long day yesterday so I went to futon instead of blogging!
We took ourselves off earlyish to Nara for the day.
It took about an hour by train – our wonderful landlady gave me instructions on how to get a direct one without mucking about changing.
I used to live in Nara… crazy how tourism has exploded since I first came to live here. Nonetheless, it was so nice to go back.
Gosh…there’s another of those excellent wisteria structures… (Snicker)
Fairly famous five storied pagoda.
And the more famous Nara deer.
The man on the bike ran out of deer bikkies but one chased him anyway. Kinda cracked me up watching tourists sitting down with little sticks trying to scrape the deer poo off their shoes. This country girl just thought it made a change from chook poo.
See?? tourists everywhere!!
These are the massive gates before getting to Todaiji.
Maureen thoroughly enjoying herself.
Me also enjoying myself!
How awesome is this structure? This is the Nandaimon Gate and inside are the two Nio Guardian Kings. All are national treasures.
Super fierce dudes.
We moseyed along and made our entry into Todaiji. Until recently it was the world’s largest wooden building. Keep in mind that the present reconstruction done in 1692 is only at two thirds it’s original size!! Boggles my mind.
You can light incense at the entryway and at the very front of the building.
The hall was first built in 752 to house the Buddha who is seated inside at a massive 15 metres tall!
I don’t think I am improving at selfies but here I am.
Love looking up at the massive doors.
Finally inside.
The scale of this never fails to impress me.
All the stunning flower arrangements! We found out tonight that the 8th was Buddhas birthday. There was a monk chanting the whole time we were there that really added to the atmosphere.
I should have counted how many flower arrangements there were!
Was so happy to go and say hi to my favourite guardian, Komokuten, Guardian of the West.
He probably doesn’t remember me, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this grumpy looking fellow. The detail in the carving is amazing…and again he is quite the impressive size!
More flowers and then looking over to who I assume is the Guardian of the East… I didn’t look up his name.
I guess he is pretty cool to, he just doesn’t strike my fancy like Komokuten.
Anyway I will continue with more on our Nara visit when it’s not after midnight!!
Xxx.
Wow! What a fantastic trip! What a absolute treat to see all the ancient treasures of Nara and the rest of Japan! Were the giant statues made of stone or wood or other? When I think of Japan, I think of crazy crowded Tokyo! Until your photo visits, I was unaware of the nature, beauty, and tranquility that existed there! Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you are glimpsing a different side of Japan!! It really is a great mix of crazy modern busy and ancient and tranquil.
The huge seated Buddha is bronze!! My favourite guardian and his pal are wooden! Not sure about the two guilded ones that flank Buddah