More trains, lots of rain, one enormous Buddha

Noodle breakfast. Plus fruit in weird clear jelly substance

View more photos 

After finishing up at the large internet cafe in Takayama last night, I biked back to the inn using my trusty new headlamp for added protection.  I was thoroughly looking forward to a warm bath.  I dressed in my kimono like the pictures/instructions said.  It was surprisingly comfortable and I headed down to the communal bath area.  Again per the instructions and from the culture books I had read, I proceeded to shower first before dipping into the extremely hot water.  I was fortunate to have the whole room to myself for a good fifteen mintues before a European woman joined me.  All in all a great authentic experience.  Although the accommations appear quite simple, everything you could possible need is all there.  They even set out blow dryers.

Me in a kimono!

View more photos 

I woke up early and quickly repacked before heading out to the train.  I had a few minutes to buy my breakfast from a nearby local convience store.  I have been told its normal to eat noodles for breakfast, but it was still hard to choose a dish.  They all seemed like dinner dishes to me.

The trip back to Nagoya had gorgeous views while weaving through the scenic mountainside.  It is very easy to get intimidated by the large train stations.  Although it was my second time going through the Nagoya station, it still made me very nervous.  There are many people and everyone looks like they know where they are going except me, but I was able to find the correct platform within a few minutes.  The speed train to Kyoto was in fact quite speedy and the smaller local train onto Nara was an easier transfer than I thought it would be.  I got a bit panicked for a second when a tall Australian got off a few stops too early and I thought I was going wrong.  Its hard to remain confident when there is nothing in english around you!

The museum that kept me dry for a little while

View more photos 

My lodging in Nara is a small inn with just four rooms.  It is very similiar to my accommandation in Takayama, but appears to be brand new.  Very clean and modern looking all the while staying completely traditional Japanese.  Unforunately, it is located tucked away in a small alley.  I visited two tourist information centers before finding it, all the while the rain poured down.  My jacket and shoes are waterproof, but my pants were not.  By the time I found the inn I was dripping wet.  The innkeeper immediately brought me a towel, but I felt bad for dripping all over his nice, wood floors.

Luckily, I have my swishy pants with me, so I was able to change into dry pants.  I journaled and set up my bed trying to wait for the rain to stop with no avail.  So I headed back out this time with a borrowed umbrella to tackle the sights of Nara which included an enormous bronzed buddha.  Fifty three feet! It kept getting bigger and bigger as I walked toward it.  There were about ten groups of distracting children on school field trips running about in the rain, but it was still a mouth dropping experience.  The temple housing the buddha is located in a huge park with more than one thousand tame deer.  It was actually quite sad seeing many of them beg for food, but in other quite parts of the park it didnt seem as bad.  The park was huge and I of course got lost with the rain continuing to pour down.  I was able to tuck away into a small museum where a kind Japanese woman started giving me an impromptu free explanation of all the artifacts.  She seemed very excited to practice her english.  I do not know if I can repeat enough how extremely kind all of the Japanese are.  They do absolutely everything in their power to help you in anyway possible.  I was sitting in the inn living room (on the floor) when the inn keeper brought me a small plate of fruit (not sure what it was, but it tasted great).  He is now letting me use his personal computer! 

On the way to the huge Buddha

View more photos 

Tomorrow the rain is supposed to stop (update from the innkeeper) which is great as I am going to start visiting Kyoto, `Japans living museum`.  There was no lodging available there as there is a large festival coming up on Monday and the fall colors are out, so many Japanese people are visiting this time of year.  My travel book expressly recommends not to visit during weekends or festival times, and Im doing both!  This is where my Western height will come to a real advantage.

Thanks for the messages everyone.  This blog is a great way for me to keep up communication with everyone in one place.