Nara Park, Nara, Japan
Jackson and Abigail's 10 Fun Facts about Japan: a lot about Nara today.
51. Almost 20% of cars sold in Japan are hybrid cars. We have definitely noticed, or actually not noticed, them as they silently drive up behind us. (This compares to only 1.2% in Australia and 8.3% in Canada).
52. Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784 AD.
53. This was known as the Nara Period.
54. During the Nara Period, the government officially supported Buddhism. Many large temples were built to seek divine protection for the Emperor and the state.
55. Nara was modelled on the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907) capital Ch'ang-an.
56. Over 1,200 deer freely roam around Nara Park. In the Shinto religion, deer are considered to be messengers of the Gods, and are now a national treasure. Some deer have learned to bow to receive food.
57. Deer in Nara cause on average 150 accidents a year.
58. Todaiji (752) in Nara is home to a 15 metre high Buddha, one of the largest in Japan.
59. The main hall where the big Buddha lives, Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), is one of the largest wooden structures in the world.
60. Most stores in Nara close by 6pm as the deer after dark are thought to scare people. Quite a contrast to the late night store openings in Tokyo and Osaka.
It was bright and sunny this morning as we bade Hakone good-bye. The views of Mount Fuji would most likely be spectacular up the mountain, but we had a Shinkansen to catch!
Today, we were travelling to Kyoto, a city that was spared from being bombed during the war, and famous for its many temples, shrines, parks, gardens and old wooden houses, and of course, its cherry blossoms!
First, our Shinkansen journey today took us on one of the most popular and scenic lines, right past Mount Fuji.
Our sunny clear day meant we were rewarded with perfect views. We have now had the privilege of viewing Mount Fuji clearly from three different locations. As we had booked our bullet train tickets late, all of the seats on the right hand side of the train were taken; however, a nice Japanese man gave Mum his window seat for her to snap away. Quite the challenge as we zoom by power lines, buildings and the like. Our familiar Intrepid Tour group was also in our carriage. Their tour group leader said we wrre incredibly lucky to get such a clear view. She said Mount Fuji wasn't visible on her last three tours.
The rain was forecast to return tomorrow, so we dropped off our bags in Kyoto and jumped back on a train to Nara. We had some deer to feed...
Nara is a popular spot on the tourist route, for its history, Buddhist temples, and the thousand odd deer. Mum and Dad hadn't told us about the deer, so we were pretty excited to see them all.
Dad bought some deer biscuits for us to feed them. Although the experienced deer saw Dad coming and he struggled to pass us kids a biscuit to feed them without the deer gobbling it up mid pass. The deer sure had Dad dancing!! They all looked extremely well fed.
Even coming late in the day, the crowds were still here. We were all impressed by the Todaiji Shrine and the giant Buddha. We all marvelled at how they had built this temple back in 752AD. It was enormous and the architecture impressive. We have concluded that the Japanese have learnt a thing or two about building design. There are numerous ancient buildings, made out of wood that have survived thousands of earthquakes. Many of the older buildings won't survive the biggest earthquakes, but the flexibility in the wood ensures that they will survive the smaller earthquakes.
As the tour buses departed, and the crowds disappeared, we enjoyed our walk through the now more peaceful Nara Park, passed many temples, all while surrounded by the cherry blossoms. We opted to walk the 1.5 kilometres back to the station and we admired the sights and sounds of the city.
Our accommodation tonight was a backpacker style guesthouse. It was a big decision as to which bunk-bed to sleep in! Our host, another backpacker from Hong Kong gave us some excellent local food and sightseeing tips!
2025-05-22