Nara and Todaiji.
So after conquering Fushimi Inari in a matter of hours we decided to hit up Nara, about 30 or so minutes away from Kyoto. We really didn't plan to go there, but after noticing it was ridiculously nearby we said hey why the fuck not. And that was a great decision, Nara was one of the most spectacular places I've ever seen.
We took a bus to Nara Park and of course the first thing we notce are THE DEER. Nara is famous for deer. And there are literally thousands of them everywhere.
You can buy shika senbei, or deer rice crackers from stalls around Nara park to feed the deer. This sounds fun and cute but you literally buy the crackers and the seller slaps them into your hand and says to walk fast and not stop. When you turn around there's a damn herd of deer on your ass because they just saw you shell out 150 yen for some biscuits.
Basically you're gang-mobbed by a fuckton of deer until you relinquish your delicious crackers.
Nara park is filled with the screams of people being accosted by asshole deer. It's at that moment that they cease being cute and become a huge pain in the ass.
For the record, one bit me on the ass.
"Mmmm gaijin butt"
These deer give not one single fuck.
So after getting chased around by deer for a while we headed up to Todaiji temple and the Daibutsuden, hall of the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.
The two Nio gate guardians outside the entrance to Todaiji.
Todaiji is the largest wooden structure in the world and this picture really makes it impossible to get a feel for how truly humongous it is. Just walking up to it was breathtaking. It's MASSIVE. Something so big it almost makes you uncomfortable. After seeing so many temples already that seemed pretty big, seeing this just blew my mind. The current building was built in the early 1700's, but the first building was apparently 30% bigger. I can't even wrap my head around that lol.
This is the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. Once again, from the photo it's impossible to tell how absolutely enormous it is. Do this, look at the above picture. See how tiny the people are? Then look at the roof of Todaiji. Then look at the Buddha statue. The top nearly reaches the ceiling. This is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my entire life. I was seriously just in awe of how massive these things were.
The head is so huge that there is a wooden pillar with a hole said to be the size of one of the nostrils. If you can fit through the hole in the pillar it is said that you will be blessed with enlightenment in the next life. Saw people climbing through the pillar, but didn't know what it signified until I got home. Boo.
There were several other smaller (read: still huge) bronze Buddha statues in the temple.
Just outside the entrance was this fellow. Supposedly, if a part of your body is ailing you, you can touch the corresponding area of the statue and it will be healed. I couldn't find his ovaries, so I didn't try.
You will now see this face when you close your eyes tonight.
After leaving Todaiji we saw some sweet baby deer. Awesomly, you could pet them quite easily as they walked by.
Aaaah little wobbly legs so cute asdlfka.
Walked up a hill to another temple, but it was insanely hot, so we gave up and made to go back to Kyoto. At this point, after doing so much, it was barely hitting 4:00. So we planned to go back to the hostel and shower and find some more festivals to get our noses into.
No Japan post is complete without a Cicada Honorable Mention. Here is TINY TINY one with a hand for scale. Note, this one is itty bitty compared to the ones we battled at Yoshida House. Also, this one is dead.
"Warning: deer are absolute douche bags"