Osaka - Arrival and Day 1 (feat. Nara)

23 August

Finishing up with our final 3-week Japan Rail (JR) Pass (we'll use the actual last of it the next day for a day trip), after doing the over-the-road bus initially, we ride most of the way on the bullet train to Osaka.

For this entire trip we have used 2 3-week JR Passes, and 1 2-week Pass.  These Passes will go up 70% this October - by happenstance we just avoided that.  A 3-week cost us $421 each, and the 2 $330.  The last bullet train we'll take, from Kyoto to Tokyo will cost us $99 (not using a JR Pass).

Seeing Fuji again, in between heavy clouds today...

Now in Osaka...

After seeing a Youtube video about chain restaurants in Japan, we decided to try Yayoiken.  Not too shabby for the price, and the rice is all-you-can-eat and self-serve from a machine dispenser, who'da thunk that!

24 August

Our JR Pass expires at midnight, we need to see the sights of Nara, about an hour's 'commute' east of Osaka, so the Pass will cover the 28 bucks for both of us round trip to do it.

Ooh, look at the velour upholstery on the Osaka local train!

This has got to be about the World's shortest escalator - or seems so, after seeing lot's of typical ones and very long ones in Japan, and then other 'ups' with a massively long staircase - don't know the rhyme or reason about this short lift...

---

We make it to Nara.

"Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 794 A.D. as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto.  Nara is home to eight temples specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, and together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

​And so, so many deer here:

"The Shinto religion and local beliefs hold that a deity named Takemikazuchi arrived in the old capital of Nara on a white deer to act as the city's protector, and as a result, the deer of Nara have been considered sacred  messengers of the gods.  The genetic differentiation of the Nara Park deer from the Kii Peninsula deer population occurred about 1,300 years ago, which is genetically close to the year 768, when the Kasuga Grand Shrine was built."

A venerable old gate, see the front side and then the back side...

...and then we pass through yet another gate.

"Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE.  The temple has undergone several reconstructions since then, with the most significant reconstruction (that of the Great Buddha Hall) taking place in 1709.  Its Great Buddha Hall houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as Daibutsu (大仏).  The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism."

Yeah, this temple is huge - note the two people beyond the lantern at the front door.

​

Wooden Binzuru (healer) sculpture:

We've avoided the expected rains today so far, but the clouds are rolling in closer and the Gods are rumbling.

It's here!  And it's not so bad...

...there's even a handy lunchstop in the middle of the complex - we made it just before it closed and before the rain came down a bit harder.

Kasuga-taisha (春日大社) is a Shinto shrine of the Fujiwara family, established in 768 CE and rebuilt several times over the centuries.  The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up to the shrine.

Apparently the trees are sacred as well:

The temple has one room kept dark, except for illuminated lanterns, where silent contemplation is the custom.

We've seen thousands of lanterns around Japan - can't ever remember one with a serpent base:

Now going down back towards town on an alternate pathway...

We pass one of the temples we saw earlier in the day, with better lighting now...

Ya'll come back now!

...with more kibble for mah bellah!