a minor map: The train ride to Nara

this past Monday gave Natalie, Chris, and I some much-needed time to collect our thoughts and jot some notes down on paper. Since arriving in Japan, the long train rides to Kyoto and vicinity have been the most conducive times for my writing (writing in my new apartment still feels very awkward and, er, impossible).

The photo to the left is of Kyoto station, which is about an hour ride from Nagahama. From Kyoto, we were able to catch a train to Nara, which is only about 35 minutes farther. Riding the trains in Japan is a total treat because the scenery never gets old. Every now and then the train circulates through mountain tunnels and then pops out again, without warning, displaying views of rice fields down below or Lake Biwa in the distance. (Plus, Japan’s regional trains are super comfortable: I had one of the best naps of my life riding from Osaka back to Shiga the other day.)

When we got to Nara the sun was at its worst, so this time I opted for keeping my bag in a locker at the train station (best decision ever), so, by the end of the day, I wasn’t as drenched in sweat as I had been two days earlier wandering around Kyoto with a 40-pound backpack looking like geek-o-tourist guy.

Thus far, Nara’s been the most interesting Japanese city I’ve been able to visit. As the first official capital of Japan, Nara is rife with historical landmarks, temples, shrines, massive parks and gardens (the whole city’s basically a humungo park), oh, and 1200 deer wander the city as divine messengers of the gods. (WTF, right?) Mostly, though, I think they wander the city in search of shika-sembei (i.e. deer biscuits). The deer in Nara are very different from the deer in the Midwestern states. In Nara, they’re short and stout (probably from a diet consisting mainly of biscuits, which tourists can purchase everywhere and anywhere for 150 yen), and they’re ridiculously used to human presence. In fact, they won’t leave you alone, and if you happen to be about their size, they’ll chase you down the road in order to bully some shika-sembei out of your pockets. Below is a video I took of one of the deer whining like a little brat for a cookie. I could easily write forever about the small, plump deer of Nara, but it’s definitely a site that needs to be experienced first hand. Natalie, Chris, and I spent the entire day surrounded by these fellas, and we all agreed that it was difficult to focus as much attention on the other wonders of Nara.

Other than shika, there are some temples, shrines, etc. of note in Nara. Todai-ji Temple, for instance, is pretty remarkable. It’s the largest wooden structure in the world and is home to the Great Buddha Vairocana (largest bronze image of the Buddha - seriously, it’s BIG). This picture does not do it justice (as is the case with most photographs I suppose). It was an overwhelming experience. The statue was constructed in 752 A.D. (long time ago), although its head has been dislodged many times by some of Japan’s famous recurring natural disasters. Therefore, Buddha’s current head had been constructed in 1692.

Oh, and rumor has it that when spring cleaning comes round, one might find four or five monks, equipped with feather dusters, standing in the Buddha’s upturned right palm - all at once (it’s that big - or else monks are that teeny). Todai-ji Temple itself was also built in 752 for the purpose of housing Nara’s Great Buddha image (but it was also to boost Nara’s rep as THE PLACE for Buddhist activity).

I’m tired of rambling on about the details of Nara (as you are of reading them, I’m sure). Here are some photos instead: