Nara part two!
Here are a few more pictures of my adventures in Nara. I had two days here but got a chance to really look around as the meeting was nearby and I walk through the village and parks.
The cookies they give the deer resembles the flat fortune cookie I am eating. They do advice not to eat the deer cookies as it is more fiber than you would want to ingest!
Ah, I had this fantastic idea one evening to visit ALL the nearby temples in Nara after my meeting. So with my trusty motorized bicycle I headed out for my evening adventure. It was fantastic and surreal riding through both modern and traditional Nara--from the downtown to the rice fields. The temples were all closed but lit up with floodlights to highlight their beauty. They simply take your breath away when you see them from afar and spurns you to pedal faster to get to them. Alas, after the last temple (Horyuji was it?), I decided to take a detour. Armed with a tourist map of the area, I pedaled to oblivion. I was lost in empty alleyway streets and rice paddies. I could not read any of the street signs and my map was not too detailed. I was sooo lost. No matter, with my survival japanese and the wonderful existense of "konbi" shops, I gestured and chatted my way back to Nara--four hours later....
I wouldn't take it back for the world.
So I rented the bike again the next day and explored Nara further...
I actually grew fond of my dinosauric bicycle with its basket. Just wish it had suspension....
Ah, I had this fantastic idea one evening to visit ALL the nearby temples in Nara after my meeting. So with my trusty motorized bicycle I headed out for my evening adventure. It was fantastic and surreal riding through both modern and traditional Nara--from the downtown to the rice fields. The temples were all closed but lit up with floodlights to highlight their beauty. They simply take your breath away when you see them from afar and spurns you to pedal faster to get to them. Alas, after the last temple (Horyuji was it?), I decided to take a detour. Armed with a tourist map of the area, I pedaled to oblivion. I was lost in empty alleyway streets and rice paddies. I could not read any of the street signs and my map was not too detailed. I was sooo lost. No matter, with my survival japanese and the wonderful existense of "konbi" shops, I gestured and chatted my way back to Nara--four hours later....I wouldn't take it back for the world.
So I rented the bike again the next day and explored Nara further...
I actually grew fond of my dinosauric bicycle with its basket. Just wish it had suspension....
Where's Waldo?
Where is he?
...a typical Nara backstreet...
Say Hi to the local celebrities!
Sunset at the Daibutsuden.
Yes I went back.
Say Hi to the local celebrities!
Sunset at the Daibutsuden.
Yes I went back.
..had to try out my beautiful parasol...in purple or "murasaki"
..up the hill was this gigantic bell...
What is further up?
Wow, another temple city of sorts....
What is further up?
Wow, another temple city of sorts....
Lucky I was to catch the sun as it set on Nara--I felt like I was back in time...
Nightfall, went to the local shopping mall for a boxed dinner (bento) and took it to the Five-Storied Pagoda square and squatted for repast. I felt like a king. Wishing the night goodbye, I passed by the shrine, tossed a few coins into the collection box, clapped my hands and rang the bell, and prayed for all my family and friends and of course, for my lovely wife who I terribly miss.
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on Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 8:20 PM.
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