Turning Japanise-ah : Nara

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Nara is a much smaller city but seen by the locals as just as important as Kyoto. Both were capital cities for Japan in the past. Nara is famous for its park and its many temples. There are these tame deer that it is said, are the messengers of the gods and therefore sacred. These deer have free reign in the park.
Visitors buy little deer biscuits from a vendor and are soon be surrounded by anxious, apparently famished deer. Bit like feeding pidgins. Big ones that are as high as your shoulder, and know how to head butt.
I saw the biggest Buddha in the world. Huge, trust me.
If you liked to be impressed by size and extravagance, visit the Buddha in Nara. It sits in this enormous pavilion (it's amazing how big the Japanese where able to build wooden buildings) accompanied by an entourage of four roof-scraping statues representing the four winds (or seasons, or something.) One of the pillars supporting the roof had a hole roughly sawed in its base. The legend says that if you can past trough the hole, you may enter heaven.


LINKS
Kyoto

Takiyama


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