Neko in Japan: @ N@r@ P@rk (album)

May 9, 2008 
Nara, Japan

In my previous album about Nijo Castle, I mentioned being influenced by a Bobbsey Twin mystery story which was set in Japan. One of the places the twins visited was Nara. Their gracious hostess showed them how they could make the deer bow their thanks after they are fed (you can buy deer cookies in the park to give to these cute creatures).

TIP: 
While most people may tell you that Nara can just be a day tour, my heartfelt recommendation is to spend more than half a day there. I truly feel that Nara's ancient temples and buildings are more authentic and "complete" (note that Nara was the first capital of Japan).

An overnight stay in this historic and charming city is not even enough for me. In fact, I didn't even get to see or walk around all of Nara Koen since I grossly underestimated the time it took to just visit some of the sights to see inside the park. The temples and attractions are not just a stone's throw from each other and you puff along walking from one temple to the next.

Nara Koen's 1,300 acres of ponds, trees, lawns and temples obviously could not be traversed in 1 day, and with more than 1000 sika deer roaming about, you lose some time too in taking pictures and patting the tame animals. 

Beware though! Not all these dear creatures *pun intended* are Bambi-like and they can be quite aggressive...especially if you don't have deer cookies. You might end up having your edible-looking bag or map munched on with much gusto. *wink* 

I literally swam across a throng of schoolchildren romping about the grounds and dashed madly to Todai-ji Temple (the Great Eastern Temple), where one can see the awesome bronze statue of a sitting Buddha. 

The temple is believed to be the world's largest wooden structure. The statue is 53 feet tall, and is the largest in Japan. It was commissioned in 743.


{picture of the Great Eastern Temple}

TIP: 
Try to arrive early for your walking tour. If you walk around by 10 am upwards, you will find yourself sandwiched between one tour group or the next, or zillions (it seemed that way to me) of schoolchildren being guided around. 

If you have at around 4 hours for Nara, try to visit at least Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Shrine and Kofukuji's Temple Treasure House.

In the Todai-ji Temple, I also had fun watching adults trying to stuff themselves in a narrow hole in a wooden pillar. 

It is said that if you can squeeze through this, its like being assured of reaching Paradise (or was it enlightenment?). Well, if you are a child or at least a thin adult, obviously you would have no problem being ensured a place in Paradise since you would crawl through the hole, but for us heftier ones....well...that is another story!


{the pillar's hole is the gateway to enlightenment}
How to Get There:
Nara Park is just a few steps from the Kintetsu Nara Station. 
From the JR Nara Station, it is a 5-10 minute walk. 
For me, it was just a go-left from Seikan-so Ryokan, keep on walking for 10 minutes and you will hit it when you see all these stalls selling souvenirs.

If you have a JR Pass, you can arrive in Nara from Kyoto on one of the trains from Kyoto station which leaves for Nara 4 times in an hour. The trip can take 45 minutes to almost an hour. If you don't have a pass, the fare is 690 yen one-way. 
For the luxuriously-inclined traveler - the deluxe Kintetsu Limited Express is more expensive and faster and costs 1,110 yen one way.

Admission: 
Only for the temples, entrance to the park is free.

- Sep 17, '08 1:14 AM