After Kobe, we took a short train ride back to Osaka to stay one night before making our way to Nara to meet our friend, Amy (also an English teacher in Korea). Nara was Japan’s first permanent capital in the 700’s and contains 8 Unesco heritage sites.

Back in Osaka, we stayed at a hostel with more traditional rooms

At night, we went to the giant ferris wheel. We packed some sake and snacks for the whirl around the 110 meter high (330 feet) ride.

Next we went to Dotomburi for some video games and bar hopping. Our favorite drinks to get at convenience stores are Kirin Strong – fruit flavored (not too sweet) alcoholic beverages that pack a little punch (8% abv).

We finished the night with a delicious sushi and udon (thick noodles – usually in a soup) dinner

Osaka is a little maddening to get around with all the different trains, subways and rails. One issue, is they are owned by different entities, which means there is sometimes a lack of cooperation and coordination. The same station name for two different lines will be several blocks apart from each other and one with be underground.

The next day, we took a train to Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan – it only lasted 70 years before it was moved to Kyoto. The most famous attraction is the friendly deer scattered throughout the park that also houses a lot of the famous temples. You can buy biscuits for the deer to feed them and they bow for their food.

The park contains about 1,200 deer, which were considered messengers of the Gods in pre-Buddhist times (hence their protected status)

This one grabbed our map and promptly devoured it. We saw another rip the bottom of someone’s shopping bag – they can be a little aggressive. There is a festival every year where locals corral the deer and saw down their horns so they don’t injure tourists with them.

Afterwards, we explored this Shinto shrine, Kasuga Taisha. Shinto is Japan’s indigenous religion.

Back in the park, groups of school children set up to have their pictures taken with the deer.

We stayed at Guesthouse Nara Komachi, which was superb! We booked a 4 bunk room for the three of us (Amy arrived later at night)

The next day we rented bicycles again

We rode around Nara park to feed some deer and check out some more shrines and pagodas

Every shrine has a cleansing fountain (above) to purify and wash your hands and mouth.

Shannon showing the hungry deer she’s out of biscuits.

It was also a major holiday in Japan, so there was tons of tourists and students from all over the country.

Below is Daibutsu-den (Hall of the great Buddha) which was re-built in 1709 and is the largest wooden structure in the world

Daibutsu (below – Great Buddha) – one of the largest bronze figures in the world – originally cast is 746. This has 437 tons of bronze and 130 kg (270 lbs.) of gold

We stopped for a little lunch and sake

At night, there was a boat ceremony on the lake by the pagoda

There was tons of people set up with their tripods to take photos

As the sun set, food stalls and lots of people set up to watch the boat go around the lake to the sound of haunting music.