Travelling – Nara, Kyoto and Himeji

We spent the weekend of the 6-8th travelling around southern-ish Japan. On saturday we left Hiroshima, where it was snowing (see Snow post below), and headed to Osaka to pick up Tai, who had just arrived back home from New Zealand. We then drove to Nara, where we visted some of the temples and spent the first night.

This is the To-dai-ji temple, which is know for holding the largest (or one of) bronze Buddha figures in the world,.

There were three Buddhas which formed the main focal point of the temple, with the bronze Kannon being the awe-inspiring centre of attention (the third didn’t fit inside the picture). The large bronze Buddha figure stands 16m tall and consists of 437 tons of bronze and 130kg of gold. It’s big.

One of the pillars had a small hole where you could crawl through (if you were small enough). It is rumoured that if ou can squeeze through the hole, which is the size of one of the Great Buddha’s nostrils, you are ensured to become enlightened. Ahuh. We also went to Kofuku-ji, but you’re not allowed to take photos inside there.

We had perfect weather throughout the trip, which was super lucky! Considering that it was snowing as we were leaving, and it rained when we got back.

Deer in Nara are a lot more polite than the deer in Miyajima. The deer in Nara would bow to you before they got fed. Though you couldn’t tease them, they’d assert their right to their food, which got a bit scary as they’d dart their head forward to get the crackers.

And I’m not exactly sure what is happening here…but I had to take a photo anyway.

When we visted Miyajima, and again in Nara, there was a marathon being run. They seem to love their marathons in Japan!!

This is the second biggest temple in Nara, whose name I’ve totally forgotten. There were some special treasures meant to be on display, but they went and upped off to some exhibition somewhere else, so we didn’t stay there long.

This is Xin-xin, the super kawaii dog, on one of our pit stops while driving to and fro where they had a Dog Park where she could run around.

We then drove to Kyoto where we first visited the sanjusan-gen-do temple, which is simply amazing.

There are 1001 statues of the Buddhist deity, consisting of 500 standing Kannons, about 165cm tall, standing on either side of a massive Kannon This temple was built in 1266 (after the original made in 1164 burnt down in 1249), either way, it’s olddd as. It was absolutely freezing inside, and we had to take off our shoes inside (which is common in Japanese temples), but doesn’t help with the warmth, or lack thereof. It was simply amazing. However, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside.

This was the garden outside, which was simply beautiful.

We also stopped off at Kyoto Station, which is an amazing work of architecture, to exchange my Japan Rail Pass. If you’re travelling in Japan, the JR-pass (only available to tourists on tourist visas) will/can save you literally thousands of dollars in travelling costs on Japan’s awesome train network.

Kiyomizu Temple

This place was amazing. It is Kasumi’s favourite place in Kyoto, and it is pretty clear why. Originally built in 798, the current buildings were reconstructed in 1633. It’s easily become my favourite place in Kyoto too.

I love the reflection in the water, with all the leaves making it appear as if there are cherry blossoms on the trees.

This is one of my favourite pictures. The colour of the tree leaves, the sunlight, combined with the structure of the temple.

It really is such a beautiful place. Words, and even my poor photos, do not do it justice. It would have to be on one of your “must-visit” places in Kyoto/Japan.

For dinner, we went to a nice…well we don’t have them back home, but it was super oishii!

The first released photos of her parents!! hehe. We went bowling after (I came last as is usual when I go bowling), and then took some sticker photos, as every self-respecting Japanese and/or tourist does =D

After we left Kyoto, we went to Himeji Castle, which is the top rated Castle in Japan (well at least according to everyone I’ve talked to). It is located in, well, Himeji, west of Osaka, and is a World Heritage Site (like many of the temples we visited). It is definitely a place to visit!

It is a Castle, and as most castles, is designed to repel attacks, so there are many curves, steps, holes in walls to pour oil and arrows through. It is quite impressive.

The view from the sixth level, once you get there, is breathtaking. You can see all around Himeji, and into the highlands.

The whole city is part of the defences, with two (or three) moats having being dug to defend the castle. The ‘scale’ model of the city was well, impressive. Using that word a lot. Because it IS impressive.

Impressive and breathtaking.

Nara, Kyoto and Himeji. Three awesome places to visit while in Japan. I will definitely revisit Kyoto when I get the chance again.