Nara

Nara is known for its tamed deer population. This particular guy let me (Kristin) sit down right in front of him.
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It was my (Brock's) birthday on Monday, so Kristin and I went into Kyoto in the evening after I finished with classes and got a much needed haircut in the afternoon. My hair looks sort of weird now, but the shampoo and head massage felt pretty good.

I had told Kristin that all I wanted for my birthday was a nice dinner with the two of us, so were went in search of some good food in a nice setting. There was nice review in our guide book for a shabu-shabu restaurant that overlooked the Kanogawa River that runs through Kyoto, so we set out in search of that. Shabu-shabu is a sort of ritual dinner in Japan that tends to be prix-fixe in nature. You sit on the floor in front of a large, low lying table that has a recessed grill in the middle. After some traditional seaweed salads, miso soup and tasty sashimi, they bring out a huge plate of thinly cut, heavily marbled raw beef that you cook yourself over a slab of fat on the grill. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds! It was also a warm evening with just enough breeze off the river to make our outdoor patio setting just about perfect. Happy birthday to me.

Not surprisingly, Kristin basically walked through, and is well on her way to eternal bliss. I did not even try, although since I am already enlightened my passage through the opening may have canceled everything out or something.

So docile! Another friendly encounter.
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The rest of the week was relatively uneventful, as I had classes during the day and needed time to prepare at night. We did play some games of Risk with the students. Who do you think won those? I do have to admit, however, that Kristin beat me again at Rummy 500. That is twice in a row now, and I really am starting to feel like my masculinity is in question.

Friday came quickly and it was time for our group trip to Nara. Nara is a bit south of Kyoto and is much smaller. That said, it was actually the first capital of Japan, from something like 750-850 A.D. As a result, there are a lot of early Buddhist temples in the area. Because Buddhism came to Japan from China and Korea, there temples tend to resemble their counterparts on the mainland more than those constructed later. Eventually, the capital was moved away from Nara to Kyoto (and then later it moved to Edo/Tokyo) because the ruling families were getting concerned with the growing political power and economic clout of the Buddhist elite in Nara. Ah, nothing like a political battle between secular and religious forces to remind me that Japan has a past much like the rest of the world. Anyhow, that is enough of a history lesson. I was happy that all the students came - it was an optional group trip so I wasn't sure what would happen.

For about a dollar, they sell packets of crackers to feed to the deer. They were all over Brock.
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We took a train to Kyoto Station and then switched JR lines and headed south for an hour or so to Nara. Like most temple areas, the one in Nara is on the hillside overlooking the city itself. So we walked uphill past the requisite souvenir shops until we got to Kofukuji Temple, which was impressive not only because of the very tall pagoda that dominates the area (built around 700 and then rebuilt around 1400 - are we due for another reconstruction in 2100?), but also because it was our first encounter with the herd of about 1200 deer that roam freely throughout the temple areas of Nara. These deer are living the dream. They are treated as though they are sacred, so their day consists of a lot of laying around and being fed rice crackers by ridiculous tourists willing to be swarmed, licked and perhaps even defecated on. Who would do something so stupid?

Deer line the path leading to the Todai-ji temple in Nara.
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After Kofukuji we went to a temple that I rememberd (from previous trips) as my favorite. Todai-ji is a grand complex by any means. It is very symetric and the grounds are immaculate. The main building is actually the largest wooden building in the world. No joke! I guess the soak the main pillars in salt water for 10 years before drying them in order to reduce warpage that would threaten the stability of the building. Once you step inside, there is an enormous bronze and gold statue of the Buddha that greets you. There is just over 400 pounds of gold in the statue, and it is something like 57 feet tall. The best part of the temple might be a relatively inconspicuous, square hole that is carved out of a wooden pillar behind the main Buddha statue. According to legend, if you can pass through the hole, you will achieve enlightenment. Kids usually can squeeze through, but adults are pretty much relegated to camera duty. Not surprisingly, Kristin basically walked through, and is well on her way to eternal bliss. I did not even try, although since I am already enlightened my passage through the opening may have canceled everything out or something.

Our deer friend was nice enough to take a photo of us...
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From Todai-ji, we walked through a nice park toward Kasuga Grand Shrine. The atmosphere was peaceful with large cedar trees and lots of forest, but things got truly amazing when we started passing a bunch of stone lanterns on the side of the walkway. One lantern followed another and all were individually amazing. They just never stopped  - by the time we reached the temple itself we had passed almost 3,000 of them. It really is hard to convey how incredible it was to see in person. And then when we arrived at the temple itself, we noticed that it was a little more relaxed and less grandiose than those before it. It had a real serene feeling to it, which was nice at that point in the day. I was really struck by the beautiful (and sacred) tree that stood guard over the whole temple. As we meandered out of Kasuga Grand Shrine, we saw a few more sacred trees and really enjoyed the peaceful trails and shade from the big swaying trees.

Entrance to Todai-ji. Nara, Japan
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After some indecision, our last stop of the day was actually outside of Kyoto. Horyu-ji was about 30 minutes away and we barely made it there before it was time to close. Still, there were some minutes to wander around the temple courtyard where we were able to see the oldest wooden structures in the world. One pagoda was built a little before 700 AD and is still standing. But even more amazing than the pagoda was the museum of artifacts nearby. Most were drawn from the Heian Period (around 800 AD), and there were dozens of items that have been designated National Treasures. Some were wooden carvings that would have been considered delicate if done in gold. There were also some very cool swords and bow and arrows that captured our attention. Some of you may know that I tend to appreciate two-dimensional art more than sculpture and artifacts, but this stuff was so amazing that I might have changed my mind!

Todai-ji Nara, Japan
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After a long day, we took the trains back home to Seta. Kristin and I were exhausted and we slept for more than 12 hours!