Kyoto and Nara family trip

1. Todaiji Temple (World Heritage List)

From Nara train station there was a little walk to Todaiji Temple. On the way, we passed the Horyuji area, but a lot of the buildings in the area were being restored. However, the 5-storey pagoda (Gojunoto) was still standing - it was built in the 7th Century! amazing to think how they could have built anything so tall without any machines or other tools we use today...

After a little bit more of a walk past the museum and through Nara park, we reached Todaiji Temple - the largest wooden structure in the world! The construction of the temple was completed in 752 when Nara was still the capital of Japan (710-794 AD). It's crazy to think that the Japanese were building great structures like this while England was still in the Dark Ages! The temple at the moment is only 2/3 of its original size and it's still the largest wooden building... You can only look at it in awe.

Inside is a huge (16m tall) bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha, cast in 752, although damaged and repaired a few times since then. I felt so tiny standing next to such an enormous statue. One of the pillars in the building has a small opening at the bottom - I think it's supposed to be the nostrel of Buddha. If you can squeeze through it, your path to englightenment will be smoother (or something like that). I went throught it once when I was little, but I didn't dare do it this time. How embarrassing if I had gotten stuck! Although there were some adults with smaller frames who were able to go through - I'm not kidding, it's a tiny hole.

After seeing the temple it was time again to feed the deer!!!!!! (I fed them also on the way to the temple). All the little shops in the area sell deer biscuits for cheap. They pretty much eat anything though - even paper and green tea ice cream, which I struggled to keep from being eaten! And although they can be pretty pushy for the food (even biting me on the bum, biting at my clothes and stepping on my toes), they are also very polite, bowing when they want food like good little Japanese deer. It is sooooooo cute to watch them bow. I wanted to take one home with me!!!

(Mum and me in front of Gojunoto)
(Outside Todaiji Temple - mum and me)
(Todaiji Temple)
(Statue of Buddha inside Todaiji)
(the statue is huge!)
(Two fighting deer)
(Feeding the deer at Nara Park)
(Dad scolding a pushy male deer)
(Handing out more food!)
(can we take one home please!!)

I had fun on this trip, although all the walking around got pretty tiring at the end! Visiting the main temples was enough for me - I think the smaller temples would start to look the same if we went and saw too many more! Tomorrow I'm off to visit the grandparents in Haruna (out in the country for some fresh air). I'll be back in a week!