Dear me, I didn’t know I’d show up on this blog! I’m one of some 1200 deer that wander the streets and parks of Nara, Japan. I love people, especially the ones who buy and feed me crackers. I’ll be your tour guide for today.
Check out this video of Hannah and me: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq-JpQRJg98
Deer aren’t the only reason to come to Nara. It’s a really ancient city, dating back to the 7th century, and served as Japan’s first capital city and the seat of our first Emperor from 710-794. Nara Buddhism was incorporated into the national government at that time, so there are many ancient temples in Nara. Even today, it is the center of Buddhist study in Japan.
This is Todai-ji Temple. It may look small here, but its one of the largest wooden structures in the world.
Those of you who hold numbers dear, note that the front of the temple is 187 feet long, and its height is 160 feet high — almost a 12-story building. The gold fish tails at the top are said to protect the temple from harm, but in all honesty, it’s burned and had to be rebuilt twice over the centuries so I’m rather skeptical of all that magical thinking.
The temple is guarded by huge Nio statues, or Guardians of the Faith. Scary, huh?
The primary Buddha inside the Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest bronze Buddhas in the world. Again, you can’t tell from the photo, so just imagine:
He’s nearly 50 feet high
His head is 18 feet tall
His ear is 8 feet tall
And his nostril is big enough for a child or a small adult to crawl through.
These guys are as impressive as they are gigantic.
Hannah and Lauren visited some serene Japanese gardens today, too, but blah, blah, blah…
I’d rather show you these insane guys beating the crap out of mochi: Click the link below.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m417xPr5_rA The result: a warm, delicious mochi treat filled with red bean paste and coated in some sort of sweet peanut dust. Sounds weird but people like that sort of thing. Different strokes for different folks.
And if mochi pounding isn’t odd enough, you could order sushi on a touch-screen…
Ah, Japan, we love you!
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