Todaiji - 東大寺

Above is the Great Buddha statue of Nara's Todaiji Temple. It is notorious for its size and wonder. I had watched a documentary on it for history class, but even knowing its size does not prepare one for the sheer enormity of it. It was awesome being able to stand there and appreciate such a huge piece of spiritual art. To the left is the outside of the temple with some cherry blossoms!! I was so happy to see Nara in bloom!

Todaiji itself is also so huge in person that it is hard to get the same feeling from a picture or video. I kind of went just because it is a must-see tourist spot, but I ended up having a lot of fun. Thankfully, I had learned about it before because there really wasn't any English. There were sometimes Chinese or Korean translations for the informational plaques and maybe the name in romanji, but that was it.

Everything was huge, old, gold, red, and wooden. It was like walking through a dream. Although it was kind of crowded, it wasn't swarming until I was leaving. Thankfully, it's not quite tourist-high season yet and there was a lot of construction and set-up for something going on.

Also at Todaiji, I was able to crawl through the famous hole in a pillar of the temple. It is believed that if you are able to crawl through, you will have a healthy, happy, and successful life. Yay!
It is so hard picking pictures for this post! There was so much to see and enjoy yet I got home late and have not yet gone through my pictures thoroughly. Also, tomorrow is the first day of class, so I will be going to sleep soon.

Of course, I saw the famous Nara deer. Everywhere. They were just going about their business, or waiting around to be fed. None of them looked hungry but they never turned down food (I'm glad that they didn't look either under- or overfed). Only a few were males, with cute, smooth antlers (horns?).

There were small temples and shrines left and right, yet many were covered or under reconstruction. That's one downside to not going with the high tide of tourists. However, I got to see people in kimono and a couple of newlyweds taking their photos in the Park.

Though there were several beautiful blooming cherry blossom trees at Todaiji, I will be posting the sakura from an earlier, spontaneous adventure from today. I honestly got mixed up with my trains and instead of arriving around 10, I arrived in Nara close to noon. Then, following google maps (which led me to the back entrance of Todaiji instead of the front with all the food and giant gates), I stumbled upon a river whose banks were covered in sakura trees. Hanami-viewers lined the banks and walked along the path, enjoying or photographing the beautiful blossoms. It was positively magical. I wonder if Shukugawa will look like this. Shukugawa is one of the few famous spots in Nishinomiya. It's a river lined with cherry blossoms as well. If I wait long enough, maybe I'll get to see it when the petals are covering the surface of the water? Anyhow, this Nara river was gorgeous. I took so many pictures, but will only post two for now.


This second one is being included because (pardon me for a second) it felt like I was in an anime. I
know, I know - the golden rule of liking Japan is to never relate is to anime. But it really was! The wind blew and this one tree's pink petals began flying around me. It was so beautiful! Especially when I think of the anime I'm watching now (Shigatsu wa kimi no uso).

It was so serendipitous and beautiful. I loved it. Today was also awesome because I took the trip by myself. One third of those who planned the trip cancelled because they were tired from going to Kyoto yesterday, one third was confused about the plans, and one third said they'd go if others agreed, but because no one really agreed to go....it was a mess. But I didn't want to waste my day off before classes started and was kind of hyped about going to Nara today, so I went by myself. The only downside was this morning's mess with the trains and subway system but coming home went smoothly (I guess crawling through the pillar helped). What was really neat was I could do whatever I wanted. I could take my time along with sakura route, taking as many photos as I wanted and taking my time with them. I was able to coordinate my own plans, wait in the slightly long line to go through the pillar (super cool by the way), and went to the Todaiji museum. The Todaiji museum and buddha joint pass was only $3 more than the $5 buddha pass (so $8) and I decided "why not?" I'm glad I went. Photography wasn't allowed, but I got to see beads, tools, and pottery unearthed from beneath the temple, past offerings to the Great Buddha, old swords, an elaborate scabbard, and extra buddha statues. Gakko; Nikko; a beautiful, golden Jizo Bosatsu; and Senju-Kannon. The last one was just stunning because she had so many arms (arms for days); each arm holding a different item to represent some part of life. However, two hands were held together in a time of meditation or prayer, while two more where clasped above one of the deeper chakras. Despite all the activity, she had a sense of calm. Gakko and Nikko were at her side and had so much character and energy, I was kind of afraid they would come to life and start moving.

 Off to bed to prepare for my first day of classes in Japan!