Twentieth day in Japan

Todai-ji

What happens when you let a teenage girl decide what to do and where to go while in the Kinki region 近畿地方? You end up spending a very hot 'n' humid day in Nara 奈良. And why there? Oh, deer me, do you have to ask?:

The Tōdai-ji Nandai-mon 東大寺南大門, the South Gate leading to Nara's star attraction, featuring 13th-century wooden guardian statues, who looked pumped up and ready for action:

The Daibutsu-den 大仏殿 (Great Buddha Hall) of Tōdai-ji 東大寺 Buddhist temple. The largest wooden building in the world, the 1709 structure currently standing is only two-thirds the size of the original:

And contained within is that star attraction, the Daibutsu 大仏 (Great Buddha), completed in 752 (though the present statue was recast in the Edo period 江戸時代, having suffered considerable damage in the preceding centuries due to earthquakes and fires). It stands just over 16 meters/52 feet high, and consists of 437 tonnes/482 tons of bronze and 130 kilograms/353 pounds of gold. The statue depicts the Cosmic Buddha, known in Japanese as Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来:

The Kokuzō Bosatsu 虚空蔵菩薩, the bodhisattva of memory and wisdom. Amber prayed for his help in her studies:

Kōmokuten 廣目天, the Lord of Limitless Vision:

A mockup of Todai-ji's original appearance:

People were lined up to try their luck with crawling through the hole of a pillar only 50 centimeters/20 inches wide (the size of one of the Daibutsu' nostrils). Success in making it through assures one of enlightenment. On previous visits to the Daibutsu-en I had never seen anyone having to wait in Disneyland-like lines to give it a try, but tourism has changed things:

Tamonten 多聞天, the Lord Who Hears All:

Nyoirin Kannon 如意輪観音, one of the bodhisattvas who preside over the six different realms of karmic rebirth:

Sixteen smaller Buddhas are arranged in a halo around the Daibutsu's head, symbolizing different manifestations:

The right hand of the Buddha sends the message "fear not", while the left says "welcome":

Time to feed the deer their senbei 鹿せんべい, and the messengers of the kami 神 weren't giving my daughter any respect:

They knew better than to try that s*** with me:

One can only take so much heat and humidity before an air-conditioned break is called for:

Sento-kun せんとくん, Nara City's official mascot. Watch where that hand goes, buddy:

Amber not wanting to get templed out (easy to do in Japan' historic cities), following lunch we visited a garden I was previously unaware of, Yoshiki-en 吉城園. Open to the public since 1919, admission is free:

The garden's most attractive features are its moss garden and teahouse:

Time for some more deer interactions:

Another day, another five-story pagoda:

We ended our time in Nara with a stroll through Naramachi 奈良町, a traditional neighborhood featuring a number of well-preserved machiya 町屋 (shophouses) and kura 倉 (storehouses) that I hadn't wandered around in on previous visits:

Something caught my daughter's eye:

One of the machiya that could be visited was Naramachi Kōsho-no-Ie ならまち格子の家:

Passing through an old-fashioned covered shopping arcade 商店街 on the way back to Kintetsu-Nara Station 近鉄奈良駅:

In recent years many localities in Japan have become noted for their manhole cover designs:

We returned to Kyōto 京都 in the late afternoon. Following a brief rest (and a quick shower to wash off the day's sweat in my case) at our hotel, the two of us headed toward Kyoto Station 京都駅 in the evening. I worked as an English language instructor and human resources assistant at ECC for eight years, though not at the branch located directly across from the station:

Our first stop was the Kyoto Tower 京都タワー Observation Deck. The views are excellent in all directions, though in the daylight hours it's probably easier to identify some of the city's historic landmarks:

We then crossed back to the station for dinner. For the record, I had more than the two paltry pieces of tempura 天ぷら pictured below. Additional items were brought to our table later for further consumption:

The view looking south from the station's 15th-floor Sky Garden Terrace:

On Sunday Amber's choice would include spending the day in Kyoto. Stay tuned to see what piqued her interest(s)...