Japan Travel 2017
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Nara Calendar
March 28 (Tue): Explore Nara
March 29 (Wed): Explore Nara
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We'll be staying in a house at Kyoto, and commuting to Nara by train. The residence houses up to eight people, and details of the home are found at this link: Kyoto Home. The commute time (by train) is about 50 minutes. A Google map shows how close we are to the Kyoto Train Station (hotel marker middle top, Kyoto station middle bottom).
Compared to Kyoto, Nara doesn't have as many temples. However, the guidebooks and websites assure us they are still worth visiting. The most famous temple is the Todai-ji, where the giant Buddha sits in meditation. News Flash! There will be a Flower Offering Ceremony (Hana-e-shiki) during the time we will be in Nara! It's located in the Yakushi-ji temple, and there will some dancing and entertainment as well. Festivities culminate in a "battle" of good versus evil performed on March 31. For more info, see {Hana-e-shiki}. Todai-ji Temple: About a mile from the Nara station, and home of the Great Buddha. People who can crawl through its nose will achieve enlightenment (yuk, what a price to pay). Kasuga-taisha Shrine: A Shinto shrine bordered by 2000 stone lanterns, and home to many of Nara's deer. Kofuku-ji Temple: Once home of the warrior monks, the temple and pagoda adjacent to Sarusawa pond is among the most photographed in Japan. Depending on how quickly we walk through the temples and gardens, some travel guides say we could visit the main attractions of Nara in a day. We put two days on the itinerary, because we're older and walk slower. Nara Koen: Home of the famous Nara deer, and inspiration for the Japanese Deer Park in Orange County, many years ago. Isui-en Garden: For those of us who like Japanese Gardens, this is ranked the best in Nara. Nara Self Tour: Suggested half-day to two day itineraries in Nara. Possible guided tours include an afternoon tour through TripAdvisor (Viator), and Chris Rowthorn tours (Chris Rowthorn Nara tours). Nara doesn't have the range of shopping opportunities as Kyoto or Osaka. However, they seem to have a good reputation for quality brushes and ink for caligraphy, which may be great as small souveniers. Nara Shopping: Compared to Osaka and Kyoto, Nara's shopping seems a bit limited. Nara Eating: The first restaurant mentioned serves Italian food(?). Reminds me of the pizza restaurant at the entrance to Little Tokyo. |
