Weekend trip -- part II

The next day, I set off for Nara. When I reached there, I headed off to Nara Park, the site of the famous Kohfukuji Temple, with its several buildings, several of them designated National Treasures, and a National Treasure Hall, where many artifacts and relics from the temple's past are displayed.

At first, I was awed by the deer grazing in Nara Park, and approached the first few cautiously. I soon realized that the deer had no such compunctions. They were incredibly friendly, approaching people walking through the park with no hesitation. I soon found out why. . . they wanted to be fed. I saw several people mobbed by four or five deer as soon as the animals realized that they were holding food. By the end of the day, I was definitely less enamoured of the deer than I had been at the start.

Five-storied pagoda

Inside the National Treasure Hall

Nan'en-do (South Octagonal Hall)

I also stopped at the Nara National Museum which had a special exhibit on Buddhist paintings from the 11th to 13th centuries. While fascinating, it was also quite overwhelming and intense and the sheer number of art works made it difficult to take in. I found the permanent collection, more varied with sculptures and artifacts, easier to absorb. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed.

From there, I went to Todaiji Temple, home of the famous Daibutsu, or Great Buddha (14.98m tall) in the Daibutsuden, supposedly the largest wooden building in the world .

Scale model of Todaiji

After Todaiji, I made a stop at Kasuga Taisha a compound of structures painted in bright vermillion, hung with a multitude of lanterns.

By this time, I had walked so much in the intense heat that my legs were starting to become numb. I decided that I had seen enough of Nara for this trip and made my way back to the train station to move on to Kyoto, where, after making some tentative plans for the next day, I promptly collapsed into bed exhausted.