After we left Kyoto, we went to Nara, the capital city of Nara Prefecture. Nara is believed to be the birthplace of Japan with significant temples and artwork dating back to the 8th century when Nara was Japan's capital.
Nara has a lot of deer roaming around the park and nearby temple and shirine. Deer is revered in Nara because a legend says that a deity rode a deer to bring prosperity and happiness. The number of deer roaming around the are was estimated to be 1,300.
People buy this deer snack to feed them. Literally, deer pulls the clothes of people holding this snack to feed them.
Some are hungry and active in soliciting food. But others are content and relaxed.
Meanwhile, some male deer enter into a power struggle.
Next, we visited the
Todaiji temple. This temple is famous for its 15-meter-high Buddha statue. It was said that a total of 18 people could stand on his left palm. The original temple was destroyed by fire and has been rebuilt to two-thirds of its original size. However, the temple's main building, known as Daibutsuden or Great Buddha Hall, stands 50 meters tall, 51 meters wide, and 49 meters deep. It is one of the largest wooden structures in the world and was previously the largest in the world until 1998.
There was a museum, but we did not have time to experience it.
Next, we visited
Kasuga Taisha Shinto shrine. This place is definitely one of the most sacred places in Japan for the Shinto believers. It has 3,000 lanterns, made of metals and stones. The lanterns signify the illumination of people. The deer roam around at this shrine which is also a UNESCO Heritage site.
There was a statue of a deer with a sign saying
Deer God.
We spent only a few hours in Nara because we had to travel to Osaka for the night. - Jeffrey
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