When I put together a rough plan of what I wanted to do and see in Japan, Nara wasn’t in it, but due to some unexpected circumstances this is where I went from Nagoya. Leaving the train station, I was greeted by cold, gloomy weather and cloudy skies.
Despite that, after I checked in, I went out and explored the area. I didn’t know much about Nara before arriving to the city other than that there are many deers in it, and there were certainly plenty of them around the place, mainly around Nara Park. After looking around for a bit, I made my way over to the Todaiji Temple, which is said to house one of the largest bronze Buddha statues.
The temple looked quite impressive from the outside with its design, and it was just as impressive inside the building, which was full of various statues and sculptures. There were signs in multiple languages providing more details and information. There was just one way to go around the place, and it was nice to see all those different items (including a scaled model of the building) and get a better sense of their meaning.
At this point it was starting to get late and I decided to call it a day. The following morning was just as cold and gloomy, not to mention rainy, and I wasn’t up for too much. I waited for a while until the rain stopped and then made my way toward Nara Park. Although I had to cross in order to get to the temple the night before, I didn’t pay too much attention to it.
This time, I just walked around the park aimlessly, without any particular goal in mind. I saw the deer walking around (or sitting down), people feeding them and taking pictures, and of course all the trees and the greenery. It could have been a great day out, but the weather was unpleasant, and I was thinking several times aout simply going back to my room and spending the day in a more cozy environment.
In the middle of it all, without intending to do so, I spotted the entrance to a shrine, whose name I can not remember. It looked quite interesting, and I decided to go in. There were many stairs to climb, and paths that split in different directions. Without knowing exactly where I am or what is the meaning of the place, I picked a direction and stuck with it until I got to the next intersection, and so on.
Along the way there were a few small shrines and pillars, and the occasional sign which I was not able to understand, with some spots to sit down, relax, and enjoy the view. It took me some time, but eventually I managed to find an exit on the other side of the place, and after making one more stop at the Ukimido Pavilion, I decided it was enough for the day, and for my visit in Nara.
It was a surprising unplanned stop, which I’m glad I did. The weather, and with it the whole experience, could have been better, but it was still a nice change of pace from the busy city life that I experienced so far, and which I’ll be going back to very soon.