Nara, oh deer!

Saturday, July 27, 2019

We would be saying good bye to Kyoto this morning and heading to towns and cities I've never been to.  Since we didn't have any reservations we had to keep, we had a leisurely morning packing and eating at a cafe near the train station.  We then boarded a train and headed towards the town of Nara.

Nara was Japan's capital in the 8th century and has many historic temples.  But you know how we feel about temples.  The primary reason for us going to Nara is the deer!  After I had shown some pictures to The Girl, there was no question that Nara would be one of our stops.  "Wild" deer roam the grounds of Nara Park and the surrounding temples.  People buy specialized wafers from the vendors to feed them.

After leaving our luggage in a locker, we hailed a taxi to Todai-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple that has one of the biggest bronze statues of the Buddha in its main hall.  Another attraction of this temple is a pillar with a hole in its base that's suppose to be the size of the Buddha's nostril.  Whoever can climb through it will have enlightenment in their next life.  I told The Girl she'll have good luck if she climbs through.  Ever the superstitious person, she did not hesitate and climbed right through.

Outside the temple and around Nara park, we saw many deer walking about, posing for pictures, waiting for food, and chasing people for food.  Some of the deer will bow their heads to you as a greeting.  If you have their wafers, they'll all bow their heads to you.  Of course you better feed them if they bow, otherwise they will nip you.  Even though their nips won't break skin, they still hurt.  These are some aggressive deer.  There were several children crying from being chased by the deer.

After an hour or so of observing the deer, petting the deer, and following the deer, I was finally able to convince The Girl to leave.  Our next stop was Naramachi Nigiwai-no-ie, an old traditional townhouse from the Edo period.  There is no admission charge and we were free to wander around the interiors of this old building.

The serene garden

Traditional rooms with tatami floors and sliding doors

An old stove

The Girl and I then wandered around the old downtown of Nara snacking our way through.

Shaved ice with jelly, mochi, and red beans

Seasonal wagashi, Japanese sweets, at Nakanishi Yosaburo

Tofu donut and tofu pudding at Kitamachi Tofu n'Donuts

Fresh warm mochi

From Nakatanidou

After filling our bellies, we got back on the train and made our way to Osaka.  We were staying at another Granvia property, Granvia Osaka, located in Osaka station.  But this hotel is not nearly as nice as the one in Kyoto.  The lobby is small and lacks the luxurious feel of the lobby of Granvia Kyoto.  The rooms are back to the tiny Japanese hotel standards.  I had booked a double room on the Granvia floor hoping for some extra room.  But we had to turn our bodies in order to walk past each other in this room.  The only positive is the lounge.  It had hot and cold drinks readily available, but the snacks provided were the same thing everyday we were there.  However, convenience beats luxury.

For dinner that night, we decided on Chinese soup dumplings from Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese chain, that we had first dined at while in Bangkok.  Like all the other Din Tai Fung's, this one is also crowded and had quite a long wait.  However the menu is slightly altered to suit the Japanese palate.

Pork and crab soup dumplings

Pork and scallop, abalone and pork, pork and seasoned cod roe