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Our last day in Kyoto was May 24th. I need to write a separate article for that, not this one. On the morning of May 23rd, we boarded that tour bus again. This time, we went to the city of Nara, which is located between Kyoto and Osaka.
First, we went through Nara Park to see the Kasuga-Taisha Shinto Shrine. You can see pictures of a small reservoir we passed and the buckets hanging at the Shinto temple in this slideshow.
This temple is one of Nara's most important. It was built around 768 AD. The Fujiwara noble family was very powerful, and this temple was initially built as their private shrine. Many copper lanterns, offered to the temple, hang here, creating a beautiful sight. The wooden plaques hanging there, similar to those hung on Bodhi trees in Sri Lanka, are for writing good wishes or commemorating deceased relatives.
Pleaser see the slides:
Deer and stags are believed to carry messages to the Shinto gods at the temple. That's why there's a statue of a stag there. Because of this, our next stop was Nara's Deer Park. After visiting the Shinto Kasuga-Taisha Temple, everyone comes here to feed the deer. You can buy small biscuits for a few yen.
Feeding them is quite a funny sight! The women run around with the food, screaming and giggling, and the deer chase after them. No matter how many times you tell them to stand still and throw the food, they don't listen. The woman in the picture with us was a South African woman who was on our bus.
However, some people fed the deer without any problems by bowing to them. This is called ojigi. First, you need to bow your head to the deer, just like the Japanese do. Then the deer will bow its head back. After that, you should hide the biscuit behind your back. The deer will then bow its head again, and that's when you should give it the food. You can see this on my YouTube channel. If you like, subscribe for new and attractive scenic videos. . đđ
āļ Two years ago, when I visited Sri Lanka, I saw some tourists taking photos inside the Isurumuniya Temple in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. They were facing away from the Buddha statue, trying to get the statue in their picture. Suddenly, a tourist guide, started shouting and scolding them and and looking for their guide. He accused them of disrespecting the country's laws and the religion. Since Ines and I were standing nearby, he started scolding me too, thinking those tourists were with me. We had hired a separate tour guide from Polonnaruwa. He said, "No, these people came with me," and then that man joined us in scolding those tourists. The other tourists' guide eventually came and took his group away.
On this trip to Japan, with only one exception (they don't allow photos of the thousand Bodhisattva statues, fearing damage), I saw tourists taking pictures as they pleased. They wore shorts, long pants, anything they wanted, and were very free. The Japanese people didn't come and yell at them, saying they were disrespecting their religion. I also took pictures with my back to the Buddha statue. Take a look at the slideshow.
The Todai-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple. This was the last UNESCO site we visited. A large bronze Buddha statue, Buddha Mahavairocana, or Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese, is enshrined in the hall. This Buddha is considered the embodiment of the entire universe. The temple building was built 1200 years ago from wood. The temple's significance lies in the fact that it was the first Japanese temple built by the Huayan school, a Chinese Buddhist sect.
Below is a statue of a Buddhist Arahant (enlightened one). It's believed that if you touch it, illnesses in your body will be cured. You need to rub the corresponding part of the statue where you have an ailment on your body – for example, if it's your knee, you'd rub the statue's knee. And oh, the Arahant's feet and legs are quite worn and shiny from all the rubbing! The head is barely spared, probably because you'd need a ladder to reach it. The funny thing is, it's mostly Western and Asian tourists who touch the Arahant.
Instead, I'll write about where we went for lunch that day. You know we usually look for places where ordinary Japanese people eat. As we were walking, we came across a white guy sitting in front of a restaurant. We asked him what was up, and he said he was waiting for it to open so he could eat. Turns out he was German. So, Ines quickly started chatting with him in German. The German guy said he had been eating there for the entire month he was there on a business trip. He said the food was fantastic.
We went inside too. I don't remember the details of the food, but I have pictures. Ines had ramen and said it was delicious. I had the rice dish with meat pieces and spring onions on top. We also got some fried squid with two sakes. These restaurants here are small. They cook and serve the food right there. The food is tasty and fast. By the time we finished eating and came out, people were queuing to get in.
Most houses in Japan are smaller than those in England. Also, there are many small cars, like the Wagon R models you see in Sri Lanka.
This can't be a drivable car.
This was a witch's shop. Turns out, the person inside was a man dressed as a woman. He was apparently a singer back in the day. A very unusual character. He had a lot of old junk piled up. I asked him what he did, and he asked me to tell him why his website wasn't loading. I gave him many reasons, and then I finally asked if he had published it. He said he didn't know; he just assumed the person he gave it to would have published it. Then, I mean, shouldn't he call that guy first? Oh well, these Japanese people!
A bicycle parking lot near the hotel above.
Next to my room at the hotel was a train station. So, naturally, I set up my camera and started videoing.
I came across the train line from Kyoto to Fukukusa on the way. So, this train enthusiast recorded them near the railway gate. You can find them right here.
There's one more very important article about Kyoto: "The Last Few Hours in Kyoto." After that, it's Osaka.
