The god came riding on a white deer. Today, regarded as heavenly animals, the deer roam freely about town.

I spent a little time walking around Kyoto . Along the river was an area full of parked bicycles. I guess, maybe, people leave them here and catch a bus to school or work, I'm not sure. 

At one place the sidewalk had a sign painted on it "No Smoking, No Littering". After this, I started to notice them more often as I walked. 

 I walked around town a little before heading to my destination for the day, Nara.

About an hour's train ride from Kyoto is the town of Nara. It was established in 710 and was Japan's first permanent capital. The Buddhist monasteries grew so powerful and began to exert so much political influence on the government that they became a serious threat to the government. So, the  capital was moved from Nara (then called Heijo) to Nagaoka in 784.

But, because it was the original capital, there are many historic treasures and some of Japan's oldest and largest temples here . The first emperors of Japan rose to power in Nara and their remains are contained in kofun (burial mounds). Some of them date back to the 3rd century.

There is a lot of Chinese influence in Nara. During the 75 years Nara was capital it absorbed a lot of influences from China. Today, the culture, government, arts, literature and architecture reflect a lot of this Chinese influence.

According to a legend of one of the shrines, a mythological god arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the capital. Ever since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the town and country. Today, tame deer roam through the town. There are many of them in Nara Park, which is located in the center of the city. There are about 1200 deer in the park. Signs warn they are wild and can - and do - harm people. They advise only to feed them purchased food and give it to them near where you buy the food. Otherwise, they can become aggressive and follow you . On several occasions while walking through the area I saw deer that were getting aggressive with people, wanting food I am sure.

A Japanese woman speaking good English approached me. She had some sort of badge on a rope around her neck. She talked a few minutes and offered to be my tour guide. I decided to walk on my own and then decide if I needed a guide. 

Along the way I discovered a grave area with only dirt and what looked like partially uncovered graves. The sign was in Japanese so I have no idea what it was. There were a lot of Japanese tourists (most tourist here are). They were looking through the fence at the grave area and some going inside to walk around. They looked very somber. I think this has a lot of importance. This is where a native guide would have given me some good historical information. I am a big proponent of local guides. I enjoy the knowledge they have of the the things I see. I always come away with a lot more respect for the things I see .

One Japanese-esque oddity I came across was while walking down a sidewalk around town. I saw a flight of stairs going down below street level just before getting to the intersection. At the intersection there was a railing around the sidewalk and a sign saying not to cross, it was too dangerous. It said the steps I had passed going down was the way to cross to the other side of the intersection.

I went back and down the steps. I expected to walk an underground walk straight across the intersection. Instead, once I got underground there was a network of wide hallways leading off in different directions. There were lights and LED signs pointing in different directions, all in Japanese. I chose the one leading in the direction I thought I should go and it turned out to be the right choice. 

Soon I was on the other side of the intersection. What an impressive underground walkway to avoid the busy streets . The Japanese don't seem to spare ingenuity or expense in their creative people movement designs. I didn't get and photos of this, because I just thought I was going to walk down steps, across a street and up the other side. Once down there I was so impressed and confused I didn't think about photos, just getting out.

I visited some of the shrines and temples in Nara. The Horyu-ji Temple, which is said to have been built in the early 7th century, is known as the oldest existing Buddhist temple in Japan. It was founded by the man that is thought to have introduced Buddhism to Japan, Prince Shotoku. There is a huge gate and a 5 story pagoda and large hall. They are said to be the world's oldest surviving wooden structures!

One temple called Todai-ji has the Daibutsu. It is the world's largest Buddha statue and is made of copper and gold. Again, there is an admission fee but no photos allowed. I took a photo of the outside and continued on my way.

I spent the day roaming around the city, wandering through some Japanese gardens and looking at the impact of the Buddhist religion here. Buddism was adopted as a national religion at one point and made a lasting impact on Japan's government as well as their literature and architecture

The day spent in Nara was well worth the time. I recommend this side trip from Kyoto when you are in Japan.

The train trip back to Kyoto made me start thinking about what I wanted to discover in this amazing land tomorrow.