Nara - 2011-09-27 (afternoon) + Kyoto (evening)
We left Uji around 10:30 and arrived in Nara less than 30 min later. The nice man from the bus agency told us which bus to take to get the fastest to Kasuga Taisha. Our plan was start at the "rear end" of Nara and walk from there back to the station.
Note: I'm still sad that my cam decided to have an empty battery that day...
This well with a stag is right after the first torii leading to the shrine.
The last few metres to the shrine you'll find lots of stone latern to the left and right of the path.
Minami-mon. (This picture was taken quite quickly and there were two classes walking not far behind us ^^;;;)
not
And Minami-mon from the inside.
Kasuga-taisha itself.
Please pay attention to the trunk on the left. It seems as if it's disappearing in the house or roof, right?
Said trunk reappears on the other side of the roof again and lo and behold... it's a tree _._
First time I saw something like this. Most likely the tree was there before the building?
After Kasuga-taisha we visited the Treasure Hall, holding the most important treasure (figures) of the shrine.
Among them was an original drum Minamoto no Yoritomo had donated. Recently (IIRC in the last 20 years) somebody paid an arm and a leg and the built a new drum just like the old one. Of course the new one has all shiny colours etc.
Then we headed over to Nigatsu-dō, which is currently being reconstructed...
From there it was just a few short steps over to the huge bell tower.
I always forget the name of those things, so it's a bell tower too, just of another type _._
Then once around the corner, buy two tickets and you can see: Todai-ji.
The thing is as big at it looks. I've been there three times now and it never ceases to AMAZE me.
Tiny people in front of the building.
Sadly, the Buddha doesn't look as impressive on the photo as it is in RL. First you see the HUGE building, then you step inside and see this enormous statue... you can't help but feel really, really impressed.
Inside Todai-ji people and school classes (lots! of them) were trying to get to the best spots to see something and take pictures. No pics of the shoving though ^^;;
Then we left the building, still feeling very small and prepared for the deer, but first there were some turtles in a pond ^_^
Now the deer. This is the only picture we have of "the accident". Luckily Carsten was taking a picture of Nandai-mon behind me.
I bought the bisquits-whatever-thingies to feed the deer (what I'm holding in my hands there) and were unwrapping them, or at least trying too.
And then the deer marked with the arrow bit me in the hip! It hurt a bit; not like "OMG! I need a doctor", but it certainly wasn't painless and for about two days I had a mark where I'd been attacked ^^;;;
Getting rid off the bisquit-thingies Feeding the deer was over in less than a minute.
Nandai-mon.
There were kois too. Lots of them, actually ^_^
And finally we arrived at Kofuku-ji and it's pagoda.
Northern Octagonal Hall.
Afterwards we returned to Kyoto to see Sanjūsangen-dō, but sadly admission ends at 16:30. We were there at 16:50 -.-;;;
So we returned to the station and Kyoto Tower and went to see Kyoto from above.
Afterwards we went somewhere in the city and found a small restaurant somewhere in a small side street in Gion.
Sukiyaki it was ^_^ Before. As you can see there is meat and veggies and tofu.
And after.
We were first a bit vary of using the egg as dip, but it tasted really good. Surprise, surprise ^^
Then finally, packed with omiyage as we were, we went back to the hotel and dropped dead ^^;
Note: I'm still sad that my cam decided to have an empty battery that day...
This well with a stag is right after the first torii leading to the shrine.
The last few metres to the shrine you'll find lots of stone latern to the left and right of the path.
Minami-mon. (This picture was taken quite quickly and there were two classes walking not far behind us ^^;;;)
not
And Minami-mon from the inside.
Kasuga-taisha itself.
Please pay attention to the trunk on the left. It seems as if it's disappearing in the house or roof, right?
Said trunk reappears on the other side of the roof again and lo and behold... it's a tree _._
First time I saw something like this. Most likely the tree was there before the building?
After Kasuga-taisha we visited the Treasure Hall, holding the most important treasure (figures) of the shrine.
Among them was an original drum Minamoto no Yoritomo had donated. Recently (IIRC in the last 20 years) somebody paid an arm and a leg and the built a new drum just like the old one. Of course the new one has all shiny colours etc.
Then we headed over to Nigatsu-dō, which is currently being reconstructed...
From there it was just a few short steps over to the huge bell tower.
I always forget the name of those things, so it's a bell tower too, just of another type _._
Then once around the corner, buy two tickets and you can see: Todai-ji.
The thing is as big at it looks. I've been there three times now and it never ceases to AMAZE me.
Tiny people in front of the building.
Sadly, the Buddha doesn't look as impressive on the photo as it is in RL. First you see the HUGE building, then you step inside and see this enormous statue... you can't help but feel really, really impressed.
Inside Todai-ji people and school classes (lots! of them) were trying to get to the best spots to see something and take pictures. No pics of the shoving though ^^;;
Then we left the building, still feeling very small and prepared for the deer, but first there were some turtles in a pond ^_^
Now the deer. This is the only picture we have of "the accident". Luckily Carsten was taking a picture of Nandai-mon behind me.
I bought the bisquits-whatever-thingies to feed the deer (what I'm holding in my hands there) and were unwrapping them, or at least trying too.
And then the deer marked with the arrow bit me in the hip! It hurt a bit; not like "OMG! I need a doctor", but it certainly wasn't painless and for about two days I had a mark where I'd been attacked ^^;;;
Getting rid off the bisquit-thingies Feeding the deer was over in less than a minute.
Nandai-mon.
There were kois too. Lots of them, actually ^_^
And finally we arrived at Kofuku-ji and it's pagoda.
Northern Octagonal Hall.
Afterwards we returned to Kyoto to see Sanjūsangen-dō, but sadly admission ends at 16:30. We were there at 16:50 -.-;;;
So we returned to the station and Kyoto Tower and went to see Kyoto from above.
Afterwards we went somewhere in the city and found a small restaurant somewhere in a small side street in Gion.
Sukiyaki it was ^_^ Before. As you can see there is meat and veggies and tofu.
And after.
We were first a bit vary of using the egg as dip, but it tasted really good. Surprise, surprise ^^
Then finally, packed with omiyage as we were, we went back to the hotel and dropped dead ^^;