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| Reviews and photos of Nara attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Nara sightseeing. Nara Map |
 | Nara Things To Do | Tips 11 - 20 of 144 |  |
Built in 768, Kasuga Grand Shrine has been painted a bright vermilion/red color over Japanese lacquered. Here you will find more than 1,800 stone lanterns lining the shrine precinct and another 1,000 suspended from the eaves of the corridors. They served as offerings of devotees to the deities enshrined here.
This shrine offers more serenity and peace than Todaiji Temple prompting us to stop and enjoy vegetarian porridge served alfresco style on the grounds of the shrine.
See more pix in the travelogue Directions: Leave Todaiji Temple and walk towards Nara Park. There are little signs pointing the way to Kasuga Grand Shrine
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A pleasant escape from the crowds at Todai-ji is Nigatsu-do (one of todai-ji's sub temples). Entry is free and there are good views over the city towards the larger temple.
On March the 13th there is a large ceremony here, where priests shower sparks on to the crowds below. Think twice about attending the ceremony - it gets PACKED, and forget about bringing a nice picnic, you will have no place to sit and eat it. The publicity photographs are stunning as a result of long exposures, the reality is much less inspiring. Leave a Comment Address: Nara Park (north east section)
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The 400 yen entrance fee to Todai-ji is well worth it. The Great Buddah statue is awesome and there are many other statues of interest. Watch out for a small hole in the base of one of the structures wooden pillars - you will deserve the good luck that comes with crawling through it, if you manage to squeeze through that space!
Todai-ji is open until 4.30 in the winter and 5.30 in the Summer. tour guides using megaphones can be a real pain in the neck in here - I recommend going later in the afternoon to stand the best chance of avoiding them. Leave a Comment Address: Nara Park
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Picture shows one of the two Lords guarding at the entrance to Todaiji Temple. The two lords are very huge made from stones holding their own weapons to protect the temple.
From the picture you can see a hungry deer trying to eat up my map! Perhaps the map looks like biscuits for the deer which are almost the same colour and flat, as those biscuits sold for feeding the deers.
Lotsa deer droppings on the floor too! Leave a Comment
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This is a temple at the top of the hill (wakasuka hill?). I think the area is wakasuka hill. It was a very tiring walk to the top of the temple on a long flight of stairs.
At the top, there are a few benches to sit in the temple for some rest and enjoy the view of Nara on a clear day. From there, one can have a bird's eye view of Nara. Leave a Comment
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This picture is from a postcard which I bought at the temple. I find this view of the temple very special, as one does not get to see it very often.
Todaiji temple is the largest wooden temple in Japan. A big statue of the Great Buddha is housed inside this huge wooden structure.
In the picture, you can notice the face of the Great Buddha through a small window above the entrance to the hall. This window is opened, and the hall is brightly illuminated twice a year. Once on New Year's eve and also on August 15 during the Festival of Lights.
The Great Buddha is really huge. When I enter the temple, I feel peace and quiet. I also tried to take some pictures of the Great Buddha, but it was too big. At the right side of the Buddha, there's a stall selling souvenirs by the monks. There are also lots of small wooden "planks" with writings. These are the wishes of the followers. One can buy "fu" (in chinese) in little clothed envelop with a knot and a string for good luck, good health, good studies, etc. The name of the temple, in chinese characters, will be sewn on the envelop, making it unique. Leave a Comment
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This temple is situated on top of a hill and it is well worth a visit to catch a bird's eye view of Nara on a clear day. In the picture, there are other travellers having a rest on the benches enjoying the view on a hot day after climbing up the hill. phew.. we made it.
Remember to bring some water along. Unfortunately, there are no vending machines for drinks up there in the temple. Leave a Comment
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Todaiji Temple was built at the behest of Emperor Shomu, who hoped to position Todaiji as the head temple and Vairocana Buddha as the central Buddhist deity of the Kokubunji system of provincial temples. The inauguration ceremoney of the Todaiji Great Buddha (Vairocana Buddha) was held in 752A.D. under the auspices of Bishop Ryoben, the founder of the temple.
Todaiji Temple serves both as a place of prayer for peace and affluence on earth, as well as a center of Buddhist doctrinal research, with a special focus on Kegon doctrine.
This temple, built from wood housed the famous Daibatsu (The Great Buddha) which is made from hundreds of tonnes of bronze and more than 100kg of gold. This is one of the largest bronze statue of the Buddha in the world.
Notice the small "shelter" on the right of the picture? That is where the water to wash your hands before entering the temple. The foyer of the temple is huge and full of tourists especially during the peak season. This temple is very big. While exploring around the grounds of the temple, I can feel the "hugeness" of this temple. Leave a Comment
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Kofukuji Temple is located at the entrance of Nara Park, very close to Kintetsu Nara Station, where it has been for almost thirteen hundred years. Kofukuji is also said to be a clan Temple to the patron deity of the Fujiwaras, a powerful aristocratic clan which wielded enormous influence in Japan over a five-century period beginning in the 8th century.
Kagami-no-Himemiko founded the original temple in 669. She was the consort of Fujiwara Kamatari, who was one of the founders of the Fujiwara family, which actually governed Japan from the seventh to the eleventh centuries.
The original temple was located in Yamashina Suehara, in what is now Kyoto Prefecture, and it was used as the private place for worship of Fujiwara Kamatari. In 678, it was moved to Umayasaka in the Asuka district of Nara Prefecture, where the capital was located, and was re-named Umayasaka Temple. Three years after Heijokyo was established as the capital in 710, this temple was moved to its present site and renamed as Kofukuji.
Its five-storied pagoda, which has become a symbol of Nara, has been ravaged by fire many times over the temple's history; the current pagoda, rebuilt in the 15th century, recreates the magnificence of the Tempyo-period style of architecture.
There's lots of space surrounding this pagoda exposed to the sun. On the very hot day, I found a tree about 50m away for some shelter from the scorching sun and took a picture of the pagoda from there. Leave a Comment
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Inside the Todaiji (temple), there is a huge pillar with a hole in the base. If a person can squeeze his/her way through the hole, he/she will be granted eternal happiness. Or so they say. I didn't try it, but my classmate did. Eventually, the others had to pull him out because he was stuck :P Address: Todaiji, Nara Park (Nara Koen)Directions: Todaiji is inside Nara Park and the park is just a 10-minute walk from the JR Nara Station
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on December 29, 2005
on May 22, 2004
on April 24, 2004
on December 5, 2005
