It was our last day in Kyoto and we had very little to do with our time. So we decided to get out of Kyoto and head for the town of Nara, about an hour away. Joining us for this trip was a guy named Avi, an Israeli who was staying with us at the hostel. He was a very nice guy: a photographer (which meant that our photo stops, almost entirely monopolised by Daniel, were doubled) and a constant traveller.
Anyway, we made our way out to Nara in a very uneventful way. The place immediately knocked back our preconceptions: travel guides emphasised the traditional character of the place, which was instantly at odds with the network of cheap hotels and fast food joints that apparently encircle all Japanese train stations. But we pressed on nonetheless, heading along the sightseeing route along with many a Western tourist.
We stopped off at several different places along the way, including a park in front of a temple packed with deer. We thought it was quite a novelty and took a whole bunch of photos, not realising that the deer were everywhere throughout the city from here on out (an interesting fact about Nara: it stinks of deer crap). We made our way through several parks and open spaces, all of which were full of deer. I gotta be honest, the novelty was starting to wear off.
After much walking, we finally found ourselves at the main attraction: the Todai-ji temple. The complex is home to what is apparently the largest wooden building in the world (I still say I've seen bigger) and one of the biggest statues of Buddha on the planet.
The whole thing was pretty cool, and we hung around there for quite a while before heading out and battling the many tourist traps that line the paths in and out of temples. We ate lunch in Nara with Avi before heading back to Kyoto. Our next stop was a real highlight of the trip. We had booked a stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. So we bid farewell to Yashi, put our packs on our backs and headed for the place. It was great. The owners were incredibly friendly and the traditional Japanese room was very spacious and well-equipped.
After settling in, we headed back into the centre of Kyoto for some shopping and dinner. We randomly ran into Steph and wound up eating at a place called Mr. Young Men that served various types of okonomiyaki, an indescribable fusion of a pancake, an omlette and deliciousness. Well fed, we headed back to enjoy the facilities of the ryokan, which included green tea, traditional Japanese baths and yakata robes.
Next post coming shortly.
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