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We had a little surprise to start our day today as Japan was hit with a small earthquake. It woke Kent up, but he wasn't sure what was going on, just that the bed was shaking. Christine thought she was having a dream. We didn't realize that it was an earthquake until we got downstairs to meet the group and people were talking about it. Another experience we were not expecting to have during our vacation!
We had an addition to our group today. Saki, one of the Oxalis Adventures employees in Japan (she does a lot of the hotel and restaurant bookings for the tours) joined us to spend the day with the tour and get a better feeling of how to operate in the tours. She went to an American school in Kobe growing up, so her English is very good.
Today was our day trip to Nara, so we met everyone down in the lobby and headed to the bus stop. We took the bus to Kyoto Station and Mari took us on the grand tour of the station. We went up to the very top where they have a "green roof" with a park on it, and then we walked along the skywalk enjoying the views of Kyoto.
We hopped on our train to Nara and about 50 minutes later we were there. Nara was the ancient capital of Japan, 1300 years ago, before the capital moved to Kyoto. After we had arrived in Nara, we wandered through a shopping area and market, and then checked out a small city museum. It was VERY hot again, so any place with air conditioning was a good place to stop for a break. We bought a few souvenirs and picked up some food from the local grocery store for lunch before meeting back up with the group to begin our tour of Nara.
One of the first things you notice about Nara when you arrive is the deer. They are everywhere. Of course, Christine loved this and took many pictures and spent lots of time petting and talking to them. Later in the day, one even decided that a sweaty Christine tasted pretty good and spent some time licking her arm.
One of the main attractions in Nara is the largest cast Buddha in the world. The Todai-Ji Temple that holds the Buddha also has the distinction of being the largest wooden building in the world (and it's only two-thirds of the size that it used to be before it burned down). Guarding the entrance to the temple are two enormous carved wooden statues. They were spectacular to look at and were very intimidating, both in size and their demeanor. Once we got into the main hall to see the Buddha, we were blown away by the sheer size of it. It really is massive, and it makes you feel very small to be standing in front of it. In one corner of the hall, there is a wooden pillar that has a small passageway hollowed out at the bottom of it. The hole is the same size as the Buddha's nostrils, and the legend is that if you can pass through the hole, you will have good health and a long life. After much arm twisting, Christine decided to try to fit through (it was mostly children doing it while we watched). It took her a few false starts to get going, but once she started through, several other tourists helped to pull her the rest of the way. As she emerged, everyone started clapping. According to Mari (our guide) she was the first person on an Oxalis trip to attempt it!
Our next stop was Kasuga Taisha Shrine. It is home to over 3000 lanterns that are lit twice a year for major celebrations. It was another very beautiful spot, with its cedar bark roof and stunning architecture. After we had explored the Shrine a little bit, it was time to head back to the train station, but that meant a fairly long walk down the main road to the Shrine, passing under 3 Torii Gates. The road is dotted on both sides with many lanterns, and it must look just stunning at night when the lanterns are lit.
After arriving back in Kyoto, a few of us decided to head out for dinner and since Saki lives in Kyoto, we asked her to direct us someplace fun. She suggested that we head down to the river and try one of the local beer gardens which are on the roof of the buildings. Several hours, and many drinks later (it's one price for all you can drink for two hours with a bunch of appetizer type foods) we walked slowly back to the hotel taking the scenic route along the river bank. We dropped of Saki at her apartment on the way and fell into bed, knowing that we had to get up in a few hours for our trip to Mount Koya.
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