days 8 and 9: October 25 and 26

This weekend we took our first trip and headed East from Osaka to visit Nara. Nara was the capital city before Kyoto, so there is an amazing collection of old temples and shrines dotting the town. We were most excited to see Todai-ji Temple, the largest wooden structure in the world.


This beautiful hall houses Daibutsu (great Buddha) which is one of the largest bronze figures in the world and was originally cast in 746! Walking into the hall through a cloud of incense, you could not help but be awestruck by the huge Buddha's presence.

And then you remember: And I'm standing in the largest wooden structure in the world!

He is 16 meters tall and, apparently 4 or 5 monks can stand in the palm of his hand when they clean the statue! The whole hall was quiet and calm, except for the area around one wooden pillar in which a hole had been bored. The hole (the size of one of Daibutsu's nostrils, to give you some perspective) is there for you to attempt to wriggle in and out of. If you can pass through, it is said you will attain enlightenment. A crowd had gathered to watch children (and skinny adults) attempt the feat.

"So I've got that going for me."

The rest of the day was spent wandering through Nara-koen, a large park that contains several other temples and shrines. The park is also home to over 1,000 deer who used to be considered messengers of the gods. Now the deer hang out, looking for snacks. Vendors sell biscuits for you to feed the deer, but they are also known to descend on your own treats. We kept our goldfish crackers hidden.

Hey buddy--I may not have enlightenment, but did you see that video of me with my brother? I'll slap your face!

Before dinner we walked back to our hotel, the Ryokan Matsumae. A ryokan is a small, often family run, hotel. They are known for being places to relax and they often have public baths and sumptuous meals available. In my research on where to stay, however, it seemed like ryokans are starting to become a bit more modernized and are offering less of these traditional amenities. Our ryokan, however, was true to old tradition. A large tatami mat room waited for us, with three futons set out as our beds. We were given tea immediately as well as yukata -- lightweight robes that we were invited to wear the whole time we were at the ryokan.

The owner then showed us the baths. If you watched the video tour of our apartment, you know that one is supposed to shower and then plunge into a nice hot bath to soak. The same thing applied here, but this time the bath tub was "family style." The tub could have easily fit 6 people and it was deep -- probably about 4 feet. Joe and I were eager to try it, but we didn't think Malcolm would do so well. So, Archer and I bathed and then we switched. Ahhh. It was the best bath of my life.

The next morning we had breakfast at the ryokan. Most Japanese today eat rice and miso soup for breakfast. I just can't get used to those salty tastes first thing in the morning, but I wanted to try the traditional Japanese breakfast the ryokan offered. Wow. A huge spread of food was set before both Joe and I. Two types of rice, miso soup, a rice milk/tofu porridge, pickled veggies, nori, a piece of baked fish, and a pickled plum. Oh and tea. It was a feast, but I'll admit, there were parts of it that I didn't quite care for. Archer loved the western style breakfast, though (scrambled eggs and toast).

(Joe notes: It was the first time this entire trip that I wasn't hungry again by 10am.)

We spent the morning visiting a few more temples and then Isui-en Garden, a lovely Japanese garden complete with ornamental carp, stepping stones and moss covered lanterns. Even though it was raining, it was the perfect ending to our visit to Nara.