We’ve mastered Japanese subways and trains and today we are on our way to Nara. The day was perfect for our journey. First, we walked to the nearby Sanjo subway station.
Along the river I spotted a very cool blue and orange king fisher. It’s officially called the “common king fisher.” But there was nothing common about it to me.
We made it through the subway and then changed trains in Tambabashi to the fancier JR rail line to Nara Park. From there we took the bus the final mile to the park entrance as we searched for the “bowing” deer and the giant Buddha.
When we told James about the deer in advance he seemed skeptical. But, when confronted with the wild bowing deer he was intrigued and we might say a little enchanted.
I’ll let him describe the experience:
JAMES: (deer and Lawsons chicken)
Yesterday was definitely a different experience than any other I’ve had. The deer roamed wild all over the city, not just by the Buddha. We got some crackers and gave them some if they bowed. It was very cool and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The Buddha and its building were huge. The building wasn’t just tall, but also very wide. And the Buddha inside was massive. It also had other cool gold statues next to it. We have now checked-out of our Airbnb and are on our way back to Tokyo. The game is going to be a lot of fun, and it’s exciting to see a building I saw on tv just a month ago in the World Baseball Classic.
Also, I finally tried the chicken from Lawson’s, which was recommended by an exchange student that came to our school the week before I left. It was great. It had the breaded outside of a McNugget combined with the moist inside of regular chicken. I hope to have more before we head back home.
FAWN: We strolled the beautiful park filled with deer and cherry blossoms on our way to see the giant Buddha. Jim and I saw it 10 years ago on our first trip to Japan and quite honestly it was just as remarkable the second time. Interestingly enough many people don’t go to see the Buddha even though it is an amazing historical site. They just go for the deer.
Because Jim has some mobility issues we could use the special ADA entrance, which was a real plus. Unlike the main entrance, the ADA entrance is totally uncrowded and provided a peaceful stroll through the outer Temple complex before entering the central building housing the historic giant Buddha.
Then it was time to stroll back to rail station to take our train and subway back home. After returning to Kyoto we decided to stop for dinner before walking the last 1/3 of a mile back to our Airbnb because we were all pretty hungry and didn’t want to walk any more than we had already.
Jim was exhausted so he stayed behind to soak in the hot tub while James and I went out to do our final laundry and get some more cereal and milk for breakfast.
Tomorrow we leave Kyoto to head back to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo, drop off our bags and then immediately head out to the Tokyo Dome for the baseball game between the Giants and the Swallows. It’s going to be another packed day! But we get to see our first Japanese baseball game in person AND meet up with James’ friend, Shea Jorris and his family. It should be a blast!
JIM: It was great that we could walk to the subway, ride that to the train, and then take the train, and then a short bus ride, all the way to Nara Park. The giant Buddha was built over 3 years and completed in the year 752 as the center of the Todai-ji Temple complex. Over the years, the Temple and its giant Buddha were partially or fully destroyed, then rebuilt, after earthquakes, fires and civil war. Finally, in 1709, the current Buddha and its Temple complex were rebuilt again, and that is what we visited today.
James loved the giant Buddha, and even got a commemorative coin that was customized with his name and today’s date. But James loved the bowing deer even more, laughing and running around as the deer begged him for food, usually by bowing but sometimes by chasing him around and trying to snatch the deer food he bought right out of his pockets. The deer also ate grass from time to time, and even cherry blossoms if you gathered them up for them, but what the deer loved most was the “deer crackers” that you could buy from many vendors for 200 yen ($1.25).
We woke up to a rainy day and so we ordered an Uber to get to the Shinkansen Bulletin train at the main Kyoto station. Uber works really well if you have to schedule a taxi, not at a hotel.
The cherry blossoms are almost over but the dog woods and azaleas are blooming. Before boarding the train back to Tokyo, we noticed a local man collecting some of the fallen blossoms and feeding them to the deer. They don’t eat the petals alone, but they love the blossoms.
True Love Adventures 