Day 9.16th May 2016. Monday.

Today, the plan was to do Nara and Fushimi Inari which are on the same railway line . Again, post the Japanese breakfast, we set out a little later than we had planned and since Fushimi Inari doesn't actually close, we decided to do it on the way back from Nara. Quick bus back to the Kyoto Station, then a straight-forward train straight to Nara covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

Nara was Japan's first permanent capital established in 710 which was later moved to Nagaoka. What Nara is really famous for, though, is its deer park. So when the train pulled into Nara station about an hour later, we took the bus outside to Todaji. Initially, I had thought there was like an actually deer park where you could go in and touch tame deer. Oh no, I was so mistaken, the deer are literally everywhere. Like in the street walking with you. The bus ride from the station itself was enough to put Zane into a snooze, so carrying him, I alighted from the bus and found a bench in a shaded area to sit and let him nap. Zach, in the meanwhile, discovered the deer in the street and was fascinated . Godwin then decided he would check out the other must-see Nara sights while Zane napped and headed off on foot.

First, he headed to the Kofuku-ji Temple which was established somewhere in the 7th century and boasts of Japans second tallest five story pagoda. Apparently, it has burned down five times and has been reconstructed. Then, he went to check out the Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine, which again has been rebuilt over the centuries. There are two paths to the shrine that are lined with hundreds of stone lanterns that he got very nice pictures of. There were a lot of hanging bronze lanterns in the eaves of the shrine itself that were spectacular.

When he got back, Zane was still sleeping, so he took Zach for a snack. Zane woke up soon after and we decided to head to Todaji, the absolute must-see of Nara, the most famous temple in Japan. We took began the long walk towards the ticket booth which is lined with stalls selling all sorts of things . I really wanted to dry the frozen condense milk centered strawberries and vowed to get some on the way back. And the boys really wanted to buy the deer food. Yes, you can buy shika senbei (deer crackers), which I did, and gave to the boys. Immediately we were accosted by lots and lots of deer. This is definitely not for the faint of heart. It was amusing at first, and then a little terrifying for Zane, so I had to carry him. Luckily, by this time, Godwin arrived and helped fend the deer off, ha ha. Deer in Shinto are considered to be messengers of the gods. So the nearly 1200 deer in Nara have become a symbol of the city. They are mostly tame unless they know you have the food, then they can become aggressive!

We then went through the entrance, and were immediately wowed by the splendor of Todaji ( The Great Eastern Temple). The sheer size and tranquility of the place is overwhelming. The main hall is the largest wooden building in Japan and it houses Daibutsu, Japans largest bronze statue of Buddha. The Buddha is flanked by two Bodhisattvas. Zach, of course, had to go through the purification process. He loves doing that. Inside, the giant Buddha was impressive at 437 tons of bronze and 130 kgs of gold. But what was more interesting was at the back of the statue, there was a huge line of school children waiting for their turn to go through a tiny hole at the base of a wooden pillar, which, supposedly, is the same size as the Buddha's nostrils. Now, apparently, if you fit through the hole, you are ensured enlightenment. I tried to make the boys try it, they weren't interested. Oh well.

We then took our time walking back to Grandma (on the way I bought the condensed milk strawberry ice that was seriously good, and then found a small place to have lunch as it was really really late. I guess it was more like early dinner actually. The Japanese woman at the counter was very sweet. We were amused by the mind the deer signs everywhere. Soon, it was time to bus back to Nara station to catch the train to Inari station, about an hours drive, to see Fushimi Inari Taisha, our last stop for the day. The boys were a little tired and cranky and by the time we got there and it was cold, dark, wet and spooky. It was a short walk from the station to the Fushimi Inari and then walking through the orange torii gates was a surreal experience. So, the shrine is an important Shinto shrine famous for the thousands of vermilion torii gates that straddle a network of trails leading up into a wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari.

Grandma waited by the purification fountain and Zane and i walked up for a bit. But he wanted none of it after a while and Godwin and Zach continued on while Zane and I walked back to the purification fountain. Then it started to pour. And Zane turned into a grouch. He just wanted to get back to the station down the hill from where we standing and didn't care if we got wet. Grandma had an umbrella, which I finally borrowed and asked her to wait until the rain stopped to head down, and took off in the downpour with him. We had our rail passes for the trip that were valid and made our way into the station and found a bench to sit. He was much happier here. Grandma came shortly after, a kind couple shared their umbrella with her, and then Godwin and Zach came, completely wet. I changed Zach into my dry sweater and we got on the next train back to Kyoto. It had been quite an adventure, and the boys were tired and wanted to get back to the hotel. Dinner was bento boxes from Kyoto station.

Tomorrow: Hiroshima
Steps walked: 9364