Nara (8 Nov Thursday)

Today we headed for Nara. The hour-long train ride was most uncomfortable because it was SO crowded. We stood all the way there.

A little bit about Nara (found in brochures of course):

Nara was the capital of Japan, called Heijokyo, from 710 to 718. It was considered the cradle of Japanese culture, arts and crafts. Buddhism first flourished here. Major cultural heritage here have been registered on the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Nara is very huge. We explored the place on foot (again). We followed the crowd out of the train station. There were many tour groups, mainly the elderly (praying at the shrines we gathered). At the park, we saw many school children too. As we walked, we saw many deer (to Ewan's delight) and deer-biscuits sellers.

How his face lighted up

Feeding the deer

These deer were quite agressive once they smell? or see food.

Papa and I both got butted on our butts! more than once.

Poor Ewan was butted on his hands by a deer with sharp horns!


Carefully....

Deer everyhwere!!

Isn't this pretty?

Heading for Todaiji Temple, a World Heritage Site

Ok, I get the message: something in your eye?

One of the many souvenir stalls dotting Nara.

We bought key chains for the kids.

A short while after this pix was taken, Ewan wandered off to play with deer and couldn't find us. We found him: we could hear his wails miles away ;-)

In front of Todaiji Temple.

It is the largest wooden building in the world.

Unfortunately pix inside the temple didn't turn out too well.

It was dark inside what!!

Not sure what was so torturous about posing for the picture ;-)

Water for drinking and washing hands

Didn't take down the name of this tree unfortunately.

Read in the sign board that such trees could grow very tall.

Autumn in Nara Park

See the spider?

After Todaiji Temple, we walked to another World Heritage Site -

the Kasuga Grand Shrine, but we didn't enter it (or rather we weren't interested enough to enter another shrine)

It was late afternoon and we hadn't even had our lunch. We walked back towards modern civilisation.....

and enjoyed a Western meal of burgers and hot dogs!

Fortunately we had seats in the train for the journey back. Beats me where the crowd had gone to. The C family was to fly back to Singapore the next day, so the kids came to our room to play with our boys for the last time in Osaka.