We visited Nara for the day on the way between Sakurai and Osaka. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan and has eight Unesco World Heritage sites. It is grand and glorious, described in an ancient poem as “a flower in full bloom. We took advantage of the coin lockers in the station, stored our bags and set out.

Soon after reaching the center of town we were approached by two young ladies. Mami and Shoko explained they were from the local university and were volunteer guides. In exchange for the tour, they were able to practice their English. This seemed like a fun idea and we invited them to join us.

The first stop was the temple Kōfuku-ji dating back to 710, an impressive complex of buildings containing the second highest pagoda in Japan. The pagoda’s levels correspond to the five elements of earth, air, fire, water and heaven. The pagoda is a symbol of the city, and was once much more important than the temple, since this is where the ashes of important figures were kept, close to heaven. The original complex contained 175 buildings but most are now gone due to fire and power struggles.

Up next was Tōdai-ji which is where the Daibutsu, Great Buddha (Vairocana), is housed. After passing through the huge gate we were greeted by dozens of very tame deer (long ago considered messengers of the gods, there are currently about 1200 of them around town). There are plenty of signs regarding not feeding the deer or harassing them and some fun cartoon pictures of what might result. Just down from the sign was a lady selling some crackers to feed the deer for ¥150. We passed through the gauntlet of deer and school kids trying to feed them to reach the gate to Daibutsu-den, Hall of the Great Buddha.

This is the largest wooden building in the world and has been rebuilt twice, the current version (built 1709) is only 2/3 the size of the original. Inside, the Daibutsu’s size and elegance explains the reason for the grand structure surrounding it. At just over 16 meters tall with 437 tonnes of bronze and 130 kilograms of gold this is an awe-inspiring figure. It took nine years to complete the statue, and eight failed attempts at casting, after collecting all the stores of copper in the nation to create. Outside the main hall was a statue you were supposed to touch in the spot corresponding to the place on your own body you want to cure or improve.

Next we head up to Nigatsu-dō. This temple has a verandah that overlooks the city. It’s quiet and breezy, even with the occasional school group passing through. We sat and talked with our guides while enjoying the view as well as letting some rain pass because it seemed to have picked up while we relaxed.

Next, Horyuji was founded by Prince Shotoku in 607. After it burned down it was rebuilt in the early 700s. The pagoda and other buildings are very well preserved, and represent some of the oldest wooden structures in the world.

Feeling a bit hungry we started down back toward town. We got some restaurant and food recommendations from the girls and parted ways. We thanked them for enhancing our visit to Nara. Strolling through Naramachi we found a spot to sit and grab some food. After lunch we hopped back on the train and set off toward Osaka in order to meet our next couchsurfing host.

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