Glenn and I spent our second day in the city of Nara. We got some yummy breakfast at a cafe down the street from our hotel - eggs and toast no less! Then we took the train about 45 minutes to Nara.
Nara is known for the deer among other things. Deer everywhere! There are also several temples and shrines and a beautiful park.
Our first stop was Todaiji temple which was built in 743 and is the world's largest wooden structure. It was built as part of a political initiative to rule the country under Buddhist doctrine. It has been rebuilt a couple times because of fires and earthquakes and is now actually smaller than the original. Inside is a 15 meter Buddha.
On our way to Nara park, we stopped at the supermarket and grabbed a few items for a picnic. It was a beautiful day and once we found an area free from deer poop, we grabbed a seat and enjoyed our picnic. Japanese strawberries? Yes please! A few spectators got a kick out the fact that we were enjoying a bottle of wine, apparently they didn't know that we were on vacation!
We proceeded through the park next to Kasuga Taisha Shrine. This shrine was beautiful and we timed it perfectly (on accident) to see the wisteria in bloom. This shrine was built to enshrine a deity who, according to legend, arrived riding on a white deer. Hence, all the deer in the park that are revered as messengers of the gods. You won't find venison around here I guess.
Everywhere in the park were stands selling deer crackers for 150 yen. I couldn't resist feeding them before we left!
After we took the train back to Osaka, we walked through the shopping arcade and bought a few things and then headed to our hotel to get cleaned up. We were meeting this girl for dinner:
Hillary! I haven't seen Hillary since last August and she is living Japan this summer as well. It was great to catch up and she actually got to see Glenn- something that hasn't happened since November 2009!
We grabbed a few drinks, people-watched and wandered around Osaka at night. The people in Osaka are very different from Tokyo people so the people-watching was prime!
We even found a pizza place that serves American style pizza. Hillary approves. We could have spent hours and hours exploring Nara and Osaka, but there is nothing like a picnic with my hubby and catching up with old friends.
Our first stop was Todaiji temple which was built in 743 and is the world's largest wooden structure. It was built as part of a political initiative to rule the country under Buddhist doctrine. It has been rebuilt a couple times because of fires and earthquakes and is now actually smaller than the original. Inside is a 15 meter Buddha.
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