Last 3 Days in Japan!

Nara Deer



Virocana Buddha



We said goodbye to the Westin in Kyoto by ravaging their breakfast buffet--massive plates of Japanese grapes, visiting our friend the egg man, seaweed rolls and more.  After a action packed train ride full of reading, writing and arithmetic we arrived in Nara, the most ancient capital of Japan.  Short lived, it only remained the capitol from 710-784 (very short lived).  This is a big year in Nara as they are celebrating their 1300 year anniversary with a party of all parties in November! Woot woot! We hopped in a cab and got dropped off at Nara Park.  The midwest girl in me was a little shocked as I looked out my cab window to see multiple deer just chilling on the street or bravely walking up to groups of people. We got out of our protection mobile (A.k.a taxi) and the silly American side of us decided to buy food for the kind animals. The deer immediately flocked towards us and bowed their heads in an effort to get a bite.  However, one deer thought my butt looked much better and decided to attempt to take a nice little check out of that instead :) There was nothing I could do in return to the deer for Nara considers deer their sacred animal.  Legend says that a mythological god arrived to Nara on a white deer and therefore they are considered the messengers of god--and apparently hungry for a booty bite.  It was something I needed to get used to as there were over 1120 deer walking around the city.  It was a quick recovery as we caught a glimpse of the first gate of the Todaiji Temple. The gate alone was stunning as we stood there for minutes in awe of this original structure built 1300 years ago.  Once through the gates, we could see the actual Todaiji Temple- the largest wooden structure in the world.  The size of this temple is necessary as it houses the largests bronze statue in the world- the Virocana Buddha standing 50 feet tall.  Go big or go home seems to be the motto of Nara architecture! When I entered the temple I immediately knew that this was the most breathtaking sight I had seen in Japan. The city boasts a ton of history, but also a great sake brewery (priorities here people!)  Fortunately in Japan you can drink sake at any hour of the day, so the tastings began.  Dry sake, sparkling sake, partly fermented sake, sweet sake, you name it. I'm definitely a sweet sake girl, although I wouldn't turn down a glass of sparkling sake either. Our day in Nara wouldn't be complete without another ryokan stay--equipped with a luxurious hot bath (with sake barrels and cups while you bathe) and our first room where all 6 of us stayed together. LOL--definitely a fun night of family bonding :)



The Floating Shrine

Our farewell tour of Japan continued with another train ride and arrival in Hiroshima.  Although we were meant to quickly transfer trains, we felt we couldn't travel through the city without visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum at the site of the atomic bomb.  The museum did an incredible job of documenting the tragedy that leveled this city and killed so many people, while also aiming to eliminate nuclear weapons around the world.  After a somber walk through this museum and a handwritten note in the World Peace Book, we hopped on a train and our first ferry ride to Miyajima Island, our last spot in Japan.  Although most people visit for the allure of the famous"Floating Shrine", a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it also houses the world's largest rice spoon - an interesting fact for trivia :)  The Itsukushima Shrine (or floating shrine) appears to be floating at high tide, although you can walk up next to it during low tide. We decided to rent bikes for the day and took a fabulous ride around the quaint island.  We spent our last meal in Japan sharing our favorite memories, meals, laughs and sights of this great country.  Arrigato Japan!