Osaka and Back again Part 3: A Day in Nara Being Bitten by Bambi!
- Becky Cresswell
- Dec 3, 2016
- 4 min read
So day three, our final day in Osaka had arrived and after two days of high energy shopping, drinking and roller coaster riding we fancied something a little more relaxing! So what could be more relaxing then being accosted by hundreds of deer trying to bite your finger's off in front of some of the greatest temples in the world!?! That's right, we went on a day trip to Nara!
Nara, if you didn't know, was an ancient capital of Japan and a place of great power back in the day. Today it boasts some of the more amazing temples I've ever seen, including one of the largest wooden buildings EVER, oh and it's also full of deer. Hungry, hungry deer. These 'messengers to the gods' live all over Nara, strolling around like they own the place and are quite used to human interaction! So, if your looking for some breathtaking temples, traditional Japanese culture and cuisine (or just really like deer) it is definitely the place to go!
Getting to Nara is dead easy from Osaka or Kyoto, We took a train from Namba station through the mountains (keep your camera out if you want some stunning views of Osaka!) and arrived at Kintetsu Nara Station in about 1 hour. Easy! From there you can walk all over Nara with no trouble, though you can take buses or other public transport if you're not a fan of walking! But we set out from the station in search of the most important thing when travelling... FOOD. Just behind the station is a sprawling area of covered shopping streets and back roads where lots of small shops and restaurants can be found. We chose a tiny cafe serving teishoku (traditional set meals) fusing Japanese cuisine and modern Asian cooking. My god, it was incredible! I had deep fried pork wraps with sweet chilli sauce as my main; and I almost said "hey how about we just stay here all day and order more food?" but then I remembered I should stop being a pig and go explore, so off we went!
After stuffing our little faces we waddled out in search of some culture/history/exercise and just around the corner we found the Kōfuku-ji complex, where a beautiful collection of temples has stood since 710 AD. Unfortunately for us it has a lot of construction underway at the moment and so the treasure hall and some other areas were closed. But just walking around the temples in the sunshine as a group of school children sketched along the path was really relaxing! (And worked off that lunch!) After enjoying Kōfuku-ji we continued on to the beautiful Nara Park, by the National Museum, to see what Nara is most famous for...DEER!
These deer are everywhere in Nara and not afraid to walk amongst all the tourists, cross the roads, or even take a nibble at anything they think is food! (Including my arse!) You can't come to Nara without taking a photo with these mischievous little guys, and for a couple hundred yen you can buy Deer crackers to feed them! But BE WARNED, They will try and snatch them from you and I was cornered by a herd of big hungry deer more than once! This girl below was trapped on a picnic table for about 10 minutes! (But she didn't seem to mind)
P.S The deer in Nara are very smart and if you bow to them, they bow right back! Only in Japan right!
If you can tear yourself away form playing with the Deer or enjoying the beautiful nature around the park and up into Mount Wakakusa you should DEFINITELY go to Tōdai-ji Temple. We went expecting a great temple but nothing could have prepared me for walking through the entrance and seeing one of the biggest wooden buildings IN THE WORLD, stark against the sky, in front of me. It was breathtaking! And then, if the outside of the temple wasn't enough, inside sits THE LARGEST sitting bronze Buddha IN THE WORLD. That's right double whammy! Seeing the statue loom over us was incredible and you can walk right around the temple to see everything inside! It was honestly one of the best things I have ever seen. No question!
Aside from the main hall of Tōdai-ji I really suggest going up to Tōdai-ji Nigatsudo hall, going up into the hills. Not only is this another stunning temple complex but the views out over Nara are really something. There is also a small rest stop filled with art from the temples and free water and tea for weary travellers. After walking around all day we certainly needed it! Once we had recovered we set out back down the hill, through beautiful winding streets that made us feel like we had been whisked back in time. It was so peaceful.
After all that excitement we still had so much to see and do in Nara! There was the ancient Imperial Palace, the rest of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara" temples and so much more! But unfortunately we had to call it a day and head back to Osaka so we could spend another uncomfortable night on a bus back to Fukuoka. Boo.
So that was the end of my wonderful birthday adventure to Osaka! We laughed, screamed, drunk, ate, shopped, walked and enjoyed so many amazing things! My only wish is that I could have stayed there and spent more time in Nara! Maybe next time. . .
Comments