Nara is one of those historical places that if you are remotely in the region, you feel you have to go. The first permanent capital of Japan, Nara is argued by some to be second only to Kyoto in the Japanese Cultural Importance stakes (I am not one of those people, by the way.) A small city, Nara is the kind of place you can do in a day trip, especially if you prioritise the most famous site and decide everything else is a bonus. Like we did.
Natalia moments before being mobbed by deer
The most famous site in question is the rather amazing Todai-Ji. It is located in Nara Koen (Nara Park), which is home to the famous tame deer, considered messengers of the gods, and now classed as National Treasures. My strongest memory of my first visit to Nara, over a decade ago, involves these sacred deer — it was December and everyone was rugged up. There was a little girl, probably not much older than two years old, and she was wearing a puffy jacket with a hood. Her parents decided that it would be hilarious to fill said hood with the deer food biscuits sold at stalls throughout the park, and then film her as she ran about terrified, screaming and flailing as the deer mobbed her trying to get the biscuits in her hood. So I had a fair idea that the deer could be pushy. Now, whether my memories of just how pushy they could be had faded over time (entirely possible) or over the intervening years the deer have become more bolshy (also entirely possible), I wasn’t quite prepared for the reception I got when we bought some of the deer food biscuits. I had told Willem about these deer, so he was keen to feed them. As we headed towards a stall to buy a packet of biscuits, the deer started to run over to us. I took one out of the packet to start feeding them and it was all over — I was mobbed by insistent deer, surrounding me on all sides trying to get as many biscuits as they could. My fingers were nipped, one bit me on the bottom, it was on for young and old. Willem went from shouting that it wasn’t fair because he wanted to feed them, to laughing at me, to realising it was probably a good thing I hadn’t given him any biscuits. I started flinging the biscuits away from me in wild abandon, and then had to shoo off the incredulous deer who didn’t believe I still didn’t have biscuits. Moral of the story — give the biscuits a miss, and while the warning posters around the park about the deer might include cute cartoon characters, they are serious about the deer biting, knocking and kicking people.
Once free of the deer we took a look at Kofuku-ji, a temple that actually began existence in Kyoto but was moved to Nara in the 8th century. As with many temple complexes in Japan, over the years the number of buildings have been reduced due to fire, other natural disasters and various wars and battles. It is probably most famous for its pagoda. Various buildings were closed, and what was open was packed with school groups and other sight-seers, so we continued on our pleasant stroll to Todai-Ji.
Todai-Ji is famous for two things, both what it is and what it contains. The Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha) is the largest wooden building in the world, and supposedly it is only two thirds the size of the original hall. The building is truly magnificent, and would be worth coming to Nara for it alone. But what is truly amazing is the statuary it contains.
The most famous statue is of course the Daibutsu – the great Buddha. One of the largest bronze figures in the world, like the hall what you see is not the original, or at least not all the original, as various fires and earthquakes have meant that the Buddha has had to be recast and repaired a few times. Make sure to look and see how the head is a different colour than the body. An enormous Buddha may sound like it would be a overbearing, or even scary presence, but I was amazed and how calming and serene it was to look up at this immense presence. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate this immense statue. If you visit, take your time to walk around slowly and appreciate it from all angles.
While the largest, and the most famous, the Daibutsu is not the only outstanding statue you will see. The entrance to the temple is through the Nandai-mon, which is a huge temple gate that like other temples in Japan has statues on either side. In this case it is the famous Nio Guardians, which date back to the 13th century and are quite amazing. Within the hall itself there are impressive giant wooden statues that anywhere else would be marvelled, but here are overshadowed (almost literally in cases) by the giant Buddha.
How to guarantee englightenment.
A popular attraction in the Daibutsu-den is not really signposted, but you will have no problems finding it. Some call it ‘the Buddha’s nostril’, other guides call it ‘holes in the healing pillars’. Essentially there is a hole in a supporting pillar behind the Buddha, and it is said that if you manage to squeeze through you are guaranteed enlightenment, or perhaps a place in heaven. You will know where it is by the sounds of the crowds and the various people lining up to have a go, cheered on by their friends. Depending on the group there, you might have to be a bit pushy to make sure you get your go. Most of the people trying were foreign young adults, who tried various techniques to make sure they didn’t get stuck (I have no idea what happens if you do — you’re starved until you are small enough to slide out??) and took their time. Willem slipped through so quickly that Steve barely had a chance to get a photo of the momentous event of Willem ensuring his enlightenment.
There is much more to enjoy in Nara than the Daibutsu-den, or even temples. It is a beautiful and compact city, made for strolling, so being the mega-walkers that we are there was much strolling, walking and flâneur action that day. Nara is home to many beautiful parks, not all of them deer-infested, including many with lovely lakes. Our favourite was one with a bridge and viewing pavilion. Most of the bigger/more famous tourist attractions and public spaces are signposted in English, and information is everywhere. The walk from the JR Nara Station to Nara Koen leads you through a nice enough shopping street, packed with tourist souvenir shops but also shops selling calligraphy goods, Buddhist statuary and accoutrements, and even a shop specialising in face blotting papers (no really. It’s actually rather cute. If you are interested, their online shop is here, though only in Japanese it seems.) If you have the time it is worth wandering around Naramachi, which has some nice old buildings to look at.
Nara is very easy to reach by train from Kyoto and Osaka, and makes an easy day trip. The parks and the grounds of Todai-ji are all free to visit, though you will have to pay for admission to the Daibustu-den Hall (don’t worry, it’s worth it. And as in most places in Japan, if your kid is not at school, they get in free. Brilliant.)
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