#82 - Nara : Temples, shrines, and deer

Nara is a city in the Kansai region of Japan. Nara Prefecture is located next to Kyoto Prefecture and makes for a good short trip for a day or two. Nara (奈良) was Japan's first permanent capital city from 710 until 784, which thus made of most of the Nara Period. Nowadays it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the so-called "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara". This is made up of eight temples, shrines and ruins, the Heijo Palace (平城宮 Heijou-kyuu) and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. This has made Nara an important stop for temple-hoppers and history lovers.

Temples and Shrines

The eight UNESCO sites are: Todai-ji (東大寺), Saidai-ji (西大寺), Kofuku-ji (興福寺), Kasuga Shrine (春日大社), Gango-ji (元興寺), Yakushi-ji (薬師寺) and Toshodai-ji (唐招提寺). Nara is a fairly small place, so it should be fairly easy to get around to visit them. I won't go into a lot of detail about each temple or shrine here, but I will tell you some of the highlights.

The big Buddha at Todai-ji.

Todai-ji (東大寺) is one of the most famous temples in Japan and one of the most historically significant. In its main hall, you can see the Big Buddha known as Daibutsu (大仏). It is one of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha, which is 15 metres tall.

Horyu-ji Temple.

Horyu-ji (法隆寺) is one of Japan's oldest temples, dating from the 7th century. It was founded by Prince Shotoku, who is said to have introduced Buddhism to Japan. Some of the buildings within the area are the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. Additionally, Horyu-ji is wheelchair accessible, which is unlike many other historic attractions in Japan.

Kofuku-ji Temple.

Kofuku-ji (興福寺) was once the temple of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful family clan during the Nara and Heian Periods. At one time it had over 150 buildings, but today only a couple remain. Here, you can see Japan's second tallest five story pagoda, which stands at 50 metres tall and is a symbol of Nara. Entrance to Kojuku-ji's grounds is free but you will have to pay to enter some of the buildings.

Deer

Sign about the deer.

Apart from the historical sites, Nara is also famous for its deer. Around the Nara Park area, many wild deer roam freely. You can usually find small stalls selling deer crackers (鹿煎餅 Shika-senbei) if you want to feed them. The deer in Nara are known to be a little adventurous, and will sometimes approach you boldly and try to take your food (like ice cream) from you! 

In Nara Park.

According to folklore, the god Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto appeared from a mountain riding a white deer and therefore the deer in this area are considered sacred. Killing one of these deer was punishable by death up until 1637! Today, however, the deer no longer have their divine status, but have instead been designated as national treasures.

How to get there

Nara is within easy reach from Kyoto. There is a JR train which operates between Kyoto Station and Nara Station. It costs about 710 yen for a one-way ticket and takes 45 minnutes. This is covered under the JR Rail Pass. 

You could also use the Kintetsu Railway which travels from Kyoto Station to Kintetsu Nara Station. Because it is a private railway, its costs a little more, usually around 1,130 yen one-way. The journey takes about 35 minutes.

#73 - Mountains and molehills

Added to the World Heritage List on June 22nd, 2013, Mt Fuji is perhaps one of the first images people think of when they think about Japan. Not surprisingly, Mt Fuji is a mountain. But it's not the only one in Japan.

Did you know that about 72% of Japan is mountainous? There is a mountain chain on each of the main islands. This was surprising for me to hear at first!

Sendai, or rather in Miyagi Prefecture, is bordered to the east and the west by the Ou mountains (奥羽山脈 Ou-sanmyaku). This is the longest mountain range in Japan which stretch for 500km. In fact, from most areas in Sendai, I could easily see the mountains in the distance. Whenever I would travel by Shinkansen to Toyko, I would always see the mountains in the distance. It got a little comforting knowing they were there (which later shocked me when I moved to Okayama, as it is terribly flat, thus no mountains). The Ou mountain range includes several well-known mountains, so for this entry, let's talk about Mt Zao.

Mount Zao

Mount Zao (蔵王山 Zao-san) lies on the border of Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. It is the most active volcano in the north on the main island of Honshu and is 1841 metres high. It is a complex volcano - a volcano with more than one feature.

My photograph of the crater and view.

One of these features is the Okama crater (御釜 Okama). This crater was formed by an eruption in the 1720s and it contains a lake. An 'okama' is a traditional cooking pot which this crater is said to resemble. However, the crater and lake are also known as the "Five Colour Pond" (五色沼 goshikinuma) because the lake changes colour depending on the weather.

Me and Okama - it was very windy!

You are not allowed to go down to the crater, so you have to view it from a neighbouring peak called Kattadake (1758 metres). Actually, you can drive up to this part, which has a parking area, but the last part is a toll road so you would have to pay about 540 yen. When I visited at the beginning of June, 2013, a friend kindly offered to drive. It is also possible to get there by bus or by ropeway from Zao Onsen.

The shrine.

At the top of the Kattadake peak, there is a small Shino shrine. I'm not sure of the name of it, though I did buy some small charms. I also can't remember if I had my shrine book (my shuin-cho) with me to get a stamp. I have a feeling I forgot to take it, though. Also, there is a visitor centre here, where you can get some snacks (and of course there are toilets!).

Overall, Mount Zao is a great place to relax. A lot of people enjoying hiking around the area and you can see some great views!

#71 - Golden week in Kyoto - 28 April to 3 May 2013

Golden Week is a period of time in Japan where many public holidays fall in a very short space of time. Some companies close for this week. For most people, Golden Week (sometimes known as GW) is almost a week of holiday. Of course it goes without saying that this is the travel period! Flights, trains, hotels; everything will be fully booked (and expensive!). Make sure to book in advance!

I took this opportunity to go to Kyoto for a week. During that time, I managed to visit a lot of different places, and it remains one of my favourite holidays. I could write a very, very long entry about it all, but I think I will choose a few of the highlights.

Tourist map I found using a web search.
It shows the locations of the more popular spots.

Kyoto

Kyoto (京都) is in the central part of the largest island of Japan (Honshu 本州). About 1.5 million people live there, making it the seventh largest city in Japan. It was formally the imperial capital city of Japan for over a thousand years, so there are many impressive buildings. Of course, this makes it a popular destination for tourists. Many people try to spot geisha in the Gion district. I also tried, but failed.

It is very easy to get around Kyoto as a tourist. There are frequent buses that go throughout the city and stop at, or near, popular and historic sites. So, buying a day pass is great!

Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizudera 清水寺, which means "pure water temple") is a Buddhist temple and a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a wooden stage which reaches our from the main hall, which is about 13 metres above the hillside. This is maybe one of the most well-known views in Kyoto. Also on the site, there is a small love shrine with two stones placed 18 metres apart. It is said that if you can walk from one stone to the other with your eyes closed, then you can have good luck in love. Someone can help you walk between the stones, but it is then believed that someone will have to be an intermediary in your love life too.

My panorama of Kiyomizudera.

There are also lots of things to see within the temple grounds. For example, there is the Otowa waterfall. At one point, the water is divided into three streams by a structure. Each represents something different: long life, academic success and love. Using a cup on a long stick, you can drink the water and receive good luck. But apparently, if you drink from more than one, you are considered to be greedy. I waited in line to do this. The line was long! I drank from the middle one. I'm still not entirely sure which type of fortune it represented, but I hope it was love.

Kiyomizudera has great views during cherry blossom season and also during autumn, where the leaves turn red.

Kinkaku-ji

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion) also known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺 literally, "Deer Garden Temple") is a Zen Buddhist temple which is covered in gold leaf. This is one of the most visited sites in Japan. As soon as you enter the gardens, you can see the pavilion across a large pond. The gardens are also lovely to walk through. I really enjoy looking at nature and plants, so I found it very relaxing. At one point there was a bowl near some small statues, with people throwing money into it, trying to get good luck if you get your coin inside. I did it three times! There is also a tea garden, where you can try green tea (matcha 抹茶) which is a famous type of tea from Kyoto.

Kinkaku-ji and pond.

Ginkaku-ji

Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺 Temple of the Silver Pavilion) is one of my favourite places. It is a Zen temple in the east of Kyoto. It has a garden which has a quiet atmosphere which includes a moss garden and ponds, and a unique dry sand garden. The trail also leads partially up a hill, so you are able to see across the grounds and a view of Kyoto city behind it. The atmosphere was so relaxing and the plants and gardens were beautiful. I really want to visit again and again (or, when I am rich in the future, I can create my own garden like it!) 

Although it is called the "Silver Pavilion" it is not actually covered in silver.
It is believed that the name came to make a contrast with Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Looking down through some torii gates
at Fushimi Inari.

The Fushimi Inari Shrine, or Fushimi Inari Taisha (in Japanese, 伏見稲荷大社) is an important Shinto shrine which is famous for its rows upon rows of vermilion torii gates. These gates follow various trails which lead all across the mountainside, so it is a great place for a mini-hike. It doesn't take so long to get into the first part of the area, but if you want to follow the trails to the summit it can take a couple of hours or more (depending on how you are at walking steps!). 

Inari is a Shinto god of rice, fertility, and also business and commerce. The red torii gates are actually donations to the shrine from individuals or companies. On each one, details of the donor are written. Foxes are thought to be the messenger of Inari, so there are also many fox statues found in the area (as indeed for any shrine dedicated to Inari). The word in Japanese for fox is kitsune きつね. According to beliefs, foxes are said to enjoy eating friend tofu. Seeing as there was a small place to eat on the mountain, I ate kitsune udon, which is thick what flour noodles topped with deep-fried tofu. Delicious!

To get here, you would have to go south of Kyoto City. You can get there by train (there are two trainlines) and then it is a short walk to the shrine. 

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So, there you go. Those were some of my favourite places in Kyoto. This is definitely not an extensive list of things to do in Kyoto by any means. If you have any questions or want to know anything, let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading about Kyoto!

As a last note, I want to mention shrine books. They are called Shuin-cho (朱印帳) in Japanese. At most shrines and temples, you can get a stamp or seal (shuin 朱印) written into your book. It show the name of the temple or shrine and the date and often has red stamps symbolising the place or other things. It usually costs about 300 yen for a stamp, and you can see the priest or priestess writing the stamp with an ink brush. During my time in Japan I managed to complete at least 3 of these books! They make great souvenirs! If you are spending time in Japan and like visiting temples and shrines, I recommend getting a book!

#65 - A Walk around Omiya

I am currently staying in an area called Omiya in the greater Tokyo area, about 25km north of central Tokyo. It is an active commercial centre in the area and has good infrastructure. Because today was a free day, I went to head to the shrine and park and walked around a bit.

Hikawa Shrine (氷川神社) is a Japanese shinto shrine. The district of Omiya literally means "great shrine". This name was the result of Emporer Meiji who raised Hikawa above all other shrines in the Kanto region. There is a long avenue with three large torii gates. The shrine was actually much bigger than I thought it would be, which was a nice surprise! There were also a lot of people about in the day and long lines to receive fortunes and to pray. Here are a few pictures:

Temple entrance

In the middle of the grounds

Main shrine

As we walked past the shrine we came into the park area and a little bit further we found the Omiya Park Zoo! It is a small area with quite a few enclosures of different animals, like monkeys and birds. As it was part of the park there was no entrance fee so we just had a look around. There was a small section of benches with lots of people and kids around. The kids were given guinea pigs to hold and pet which was quite cute to watch.

Omiya Park Zoo

Diamond Doves

Japanese Monkeys

We wandered back into the main town area to look for something to eat and came across a smallish eatery. I had a chicken, egg and rice dish, with a side of miso soup. It was so delicious! And cheap! We also had a quick look at some shops and stores before heading back, buying food from the supermarket and coming home.

Yummy!

Overall it was a very fun day! Even though I will not be in the area for too much longer, I got to explore and find my way around some more and see some interesting things!