Visit to Nara & Fushimi Inari

Back in 2016, we wanted to visit Nara. Now, we finally made it! It was truly a worthwhile trip.

Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan. Until the 7th century, the capital had to be moved after the death of the emperor. This practice was abolished with the introduction of Buddhism, and magnificent buildings worthy of an emperor were constructed in Nara. We focused mainly on the Todaiji Temple, where the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) stands in the Daibutsu-den Hall.

The hall is supposedly one of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Whether that is true or not, the hall is incredibly impressive both from the inside and the outside. Even more impressive is the Great Buddha, a 16-meter-tall bronze and gold statue. I can only imagine how people must have felt when they saw such a colossal image of Buddha for the first time! The wooden hall used to be even bigger, apparently. No wonder the state almost went bankrupt with the construction of the Buddha and the hall. :)

But what moved me the most were the two wooden Nio guardians in the Nandomon Gate. They are almost intimidating, as they appear so lifelike. It's incredible how the artist was able to carve such drama into wood.

We stroll through Nara Park to various shrines, including the wonderful Shinto shrine Kasuga Taisha. The path through the forest is adorned with hundreds of stone lanterns, giving the shrine a mystical atmosphere. Once a year, all the lanterns in the shrine are lit - I would love to witness that spectacle. It would look something like this:

I am less enthusiastic about the flea-infested (or so they appear) deer that roam around Nara Park - I would not come to Nara specifically for that.

After a quick lunch, we head back towards Kyoto. There, we visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Most people know it from photos of Kyoto: thousands of red torii gates line the mountain ridge of Fushimi. It's a sight you won't easily forget!

It's particularly beautiful here at sunset - but in the evening, the place would be too eerie for me, as it is surrounded by forests and numerous shrines for the dead, guarded by fox statues. Let's quickly return to the city!

After the obligatory ramen at Ichiran, we sit by the beautiful riverbank, enjoy another beer, and observe the people.