Breakfast again at 7:40 am in the dining room. This was a different room from yesterday, so there was a different piece of ceramic on display, and a different flower arrangement. There were even flower arrangements in special niches in the hall and in the lobby.
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| Flower arrangement at the ryokan |
Breakfast was white rice, dark miso soup with mushrooms, pickled vegetables, tofu ball in sweet sauce containing chopped carrots, egg squares and unidentified brown goop, fish processed to look like pieces of octopus, green tea.
At 9:00 am, two taxis arrived to take us to the train station.
Kyoto Eki was an impressive marble and glass structure designed by Hiroshi Hara. It was at first controversial, but the use of space and lighting eventually won it praise. The atrium soared for several stories, with staggered levels of balconies. It contained a hotel, theater, restaurants, shops, and a department store.
Nara
We placed all our bags in a tall locker in Kyoto Eki, then went to catch the train to Nara. One hour later we were leaving the train station in Nara. The station had the typical Japanese sweeping roofline, and was topped with a tall metal spire, looking like a series of rings with a sea urchin on top.
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| Nara Eki/Railroad station |
Aunt Kyoko boarded a bus with a Y100 bill to pay for all six of us. The bus took us uphill to Nara Koen, the large public park containing museums and temples. The sacred deer of Nara, thought to be divine messengers, were wandering everywhere. Legend says the shrine deities came riding to the area on deer. Certain parts of the wooded areas were fenced off to keep out the deer.
We started up a broad dirt avenue, lined with stone lanterns. At first they were grouped in twos and threes. Then they started forming a solid line. Then the lanterns were in double rows! There were at least 2,000 stone lanterns on the approaches to Kasuga Taisha.
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| Stone lanterns |
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| Deer Fountain |
We also passed a deer fountain, vending machines, and vendors selling round deer crackers in bundles of 4 or 5. Anyone with crackers in his hand was mobbed by deer!
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| Brynne being mobbed for her cracker |
Kasuga Taishi
Kasuga Taisha, founded in 768 as a tutelary shrine for the Fujiwaras, a prominent feudal family, is, according to Shinto tradition, rebuilt every 20 years to its original design, in order to renew the materials and purify the site. The shrine has been rebuilt at least 50 times.
The buildings are designated as National Treasures and are painted in bright vermilion, in contrast to the backdrop of dark green woodlands. The Naorai-den, or Entertainment Hall was where traditional dances are performed.
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| Naorai-den/Entertainment Hall |
Kagura, Baguka, Dengaku, and Sarugake are ceremonial dances strictly preserved in their complete form here at the shrine where they are part of the religious rites.
The four Hon-den, or Main Shrines were dedicated to the deities Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto and Futsunushi-no-mikoto, two gods who helped the foundation of the Japanese nation, and to the divine ancestors of the Fujiwara family Ame-no-koyane-no-mikoto and his consort Hime-gami.
All the buildings, including the corridors and lesser shrines had brass lanterns hanging from the eaves.
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| Brass lanterns |
There were about three thousand lanterns in various stages of tarnish, from the shiny new brass to chalky blue-green. The lanterns (including all the stone lanterns on the approaches to the shrine) are lit on February 3 and August 14-15, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Aunt Kyoko paid the entry fee of Y500 each to enter the inner areas of the shrine. There were several interesting trees. One ancient cedar tree was reminiscent of a redwood.
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| Ancient cedar tree |
There was a tree grafted from 7 different species including maple, wisteria, pine, and cherry.
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| Tree grafted with seven species |
Another cedar was growing up through the roof of one of the buildings.
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| Cedar tree through the roof |
The roof was carefully flashed, so that water did not leak into the structure. All the tallest trees in the area were grounded with lightning rods. There were a couple very old wisterias with older partly hollowed trunks and tangled branches.
The female shrine employees wore red skirts and headdresses decorated with dangling wisteria blossoms and chimes (?).
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| Female shrine employee with unusual head gear |
Toda-ji
We left Kasugi Taisha to walk along the wooded hillside, crossing a stream in a deep ravine. Then we followed a street with shops and restaurants at the foot of a large grassy hillside.
The hillside, Wakakusa-san, was behind a fence above a wooded park. It is set afire every January 15th by 15 monks. Now it was covered by bright green new grass. Was the fence to keep out the deer? But the deer were more interested in tourists with deer crackers.
Toda-ji is considered the most magnificent temple in Nara. Even though the buildings were unadorned dark wood, there were many of them, and they were big. Toda-ji was founded in 745, and completed in 752. Even when the imperial court left Nara, Toda-ji remained a symbol of Buddhist authority, having been built as headquarters of all Buddhist temples. It was damaged by earthquake in 855, and burned to the ground in 1180 by the Taira clan to punish armed monks for supporting the Minamoto clan. The reconstruction was burned during the 16th century civil wars. A hundred years later, only the central buildings were rebuilt as seen today.
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| Brynne cleansing hands at Toda-ji |
Ni-gatsu-do
We first passed the San-gatsu-do, or Third Month Temple, the oldest temple in the complex. Next to it, located higher on the hillside, was the Ni-gatsu-do, or Second Month Temple, named for a ritual performed each February.
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| Ni-gatsu-do/Third Month Temple |
There was also a wash basin fed by a mountain spring.
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| Toda-ji wash basin |
We descended from the temple on covered wooden stairs.
A lesser building was surrounded by bare branches stacked against the walls.
We peeked into the Twelfth Month temple, which was elaborately decorated, although very small.
We headed downhill, passing a belfry with a huge bell and many students.
Daibutsu-den
Daibutsu-den, the Hall of the Great Buddha, is thought to be the largest wooden structure in the world, and it is only 2/3rds its original size! It was painted white with wooden beams darkened with age.
On the roof ridge were two gilt ornaments called kutsu-gata (shoe-shaped), because they resembled footwear. They were believed to ward off fire, but the original, of course, burned to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1709, and is 159 feet tall and 187 feet long.
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| Daibutsu-den/Hall of the Great Buddha |
The entry fee was Y400 each. Inside was the 53-foot bronze statue of Buddha, Nara’s most famous monument (see sidebar).
Sidebar:
The statue of Buddha was commissioned by Emperor Shomu in 743. The first castings were unsuccessful, but it was finally made in 749. A statue this size had never been cast before, and it was hoped that it would serve as a symbol to unite Japan. It was dedicated in 752. Emperor Shomu had retired, but he attended with the imperial court, along with 10,000 priests and nuns, and 30,000 people.
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| Brynne, Michiko and Kyoko lighting incense |
The Buddha is accompanied by a bronze Kannon Bosatsu and two fierce wooden guardian gods.
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| The Great Buddha |
There was plenty of space inside for tourists, and a gift shop.
Shortcut to Paradise
In the back right corner of the Daibutsu-den, a pillar had a hole in the base.
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| Pillar with hole in base |
Mostly male students crawled and squeezed their way through the hole. The superstition is that those who pass through will find a way to paradise in the afterlife. If you want to even try, you need to come here as a child!
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| Shortcut to Paradise |
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| Student achieving paradise |
Outside the Daibutsu-den was a weatherworn wooden god of health. If you rub the statue, then rub yourself wherever your ailment is, you should be cured.
We left the Daibutsu-den to head towards Nandai-mon, the Great Southern Gate of Toda-ji. It was supported by pillars, each 62 feet high, and 3.3 feet in diameter. The original was destroyed by typhoon in 962. The gate was rebuilt in 1199. The two outer niches held the Deva kings who guard the Great Buddha. They are the work of the master sculptor Unkei of the Kamakura period (1185-1335). In the inner niches were a pair of stone koma-inu, or Korean dogs, the mythical creatures who guard against evil.
On the way we saw two blond Japanese girls feeding deer.
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| Blond Japanese girls feed the sacred deer |
We stopped at a noodle shop for lunch. Most of us had soy, chicken or tempura udon, but Tamiko had tempura and rice. The tempura was disappointing because it was mostly breading.
Kofuku-ji
We wanted to see the best known landmark in Nara, the 5-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji, the Happiness Producing Temple.
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| Kofuku-ji Pagoda with Tamiko, Brynne and Kent |
This temple was at the edge of Nara Koen, the park. It was founded in Kyoto in 669 by the Fujiwara family. It was moved in 710 when Nara became the capital. In 937, a Kofuku-ji monk had a dream in which the Shinto god Kasuga appeared in the form of Buddha asking to be protector of the temple. In 947, monks held a Buddhist ceremony at the Shinto Kasuga Taisha to mark the merging of a Buddhist temple with a Shinto shrine.
The Five Story Pagoda was 164 feet tall, and the second tallest in Japan. The original was built in 730 by Empress Komyo. It was destroyed by fire. The current 1426 pagoda is an exact replica of the original.
Kofuku-ji also had a building with a hexagonal roof.
Nara History
Nara was founded in 710 (predating Kyoto) by Emperor Kammu, as the political and cultural center of united Japan. It was the first capital that remained in one place over a long period of time. Previously there was a new capital with each successive leader.
Nara was then known as Heijo-kyo. It was a time when politics, arts, architecture, and religion were heavily influenced by the Tang dynasty of China. It was also the time the Japanese began using and incorporating kanji (Chinese characters) in their writing system.
Nara was planned as a rectangular city with a checkerboard street pattern modeled after Ch’ang-an, China.
Buddhism flourished in Nara, where it enjoyed the favor of the rulers/aristocracy, and it co-existed with Shintoism.
Sidebar:
When Kyoto became the capital in 784, Nara lost its status of political consequence. However, its buildings and temples were then untouched by the ravages of civil wars. At its peak, there were as many as 50 pagodas in Nara.
Return to Tokyo
We took the bus back to the Nara JR train station, and the train to Kyoto.
We continued seeing the towns with tile roofed homes and rice paddies. The rice paddies were often terraced at different levels, and they were in different phases of planting, from young shoots in flooded fields, to tall grassy dry plots. Very often there was an old woman bent over in the rice paddy, although occasionally there was a man! The woman usually had a scarf on her head, not a conical hat.
At the Kyoto station, the huge atrium was filled with the sounds of a South American band, which was playing live from one of the restaurant terraces.
We retrieved our baggage, and caught the next Shinkansen to Tokyo Eki. There we changed to the Yamanote JR Line. Aunt Michiko got off at the Tabata station to head home. We continued to Ikebukuro, changed to the subway, and returned to Aunt Kyoko’s house.
For dinner, we had take-out sushi. It was delivered in lacquered bento boxes to the house. The bento boxes were then picked up the next day!
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| Take-out Bento boxes |
The K Family
We were very happy to be met at the door by a couple of relatives when we arrived back from Kyoto/Nara.
Not only was cousin Kimie there, but so was Teri and Bontaro. We had been afraid there was too little time to meet relatives, and were glad Teri made the effort to see us. Teri is the wife of Aunt Kyoko’s son Yukitoshi. Her real name is Akemi, but she also goes by Teri, which she was called when she went to an English-speaking school as a child. She has not used English for 20 years, but does have a good understanding of the language.
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| Akemi/Teri, Kyoko, Yuriko, Tamiko Bontaro, Kimie, Brynne |
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| Kent, Kyoko, Yuriko, Tamiko Bontaro, Akemi/Teri, Brynne |
Bontaro is her 6-year old son. He was initially shy, but did engage in a game of cards with Brynne.
Teri had brought a bag full of gifts for us, even though it seemed we were supposed to be the ones bearing gifts. We tried to thank her for her husband’s generosity in providing for the trip to Kyoto.
Yukitoshi owns a management company. At least one of the businesses he manages is a golf course. They say he has a very tanned face because he plays golf so often. But apparently he is a very busy man, and does not have time for visiting.
Teri and Bontaro hope to come to the United States next summer and to go to Disney World. We hope we can reciprocate their hospitality. It is not sure if Yukitoshi would come, but it is likely that Aunt Kyoko will accompany them.
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