Endless Tori gates, a Giant Buddha & urban deer

A nice surprise - our new hotel also included a Japanese buffet breakfast! 

First stop, Fushimi inari - a temple made famous for it's Tori gates on steroids (as Isaac would put it). Small or large, one or many, these gates are everywhere in Kyoto, forming the entrance to any Shinto shrine, and in this case an individual or a company can sponsor one. For up to $12000 you get your name inscribed on the side - though with so many so close together no one is likely to notice and I reckon your company's marketing budget could be better spent elsewhere. 

The Tori gates draw thousands of tourists to Fushimi Inari and a few worshippers - we watched two people take part in a service with the priest, whilst the throngs took pictures and wrote wishes on prayer boards. There is a particular shrine for praying for academic success, and the school groups (yes even on a Sunday) made a bee-line for this one. 

Apparently making trains of origami cranes increases the chances of your prayers for better exam results being answered. 

We pressed on up the hill amongst the photographic pilgrims, but thankfully the crowd thinned out as we headed to the top of the mountain, with many shrines and a few tea houses along the way.

 

A good hike rewarded by a matcha ice cream at the end. 

Then on to Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, designed in the grid style of the Chinese capital of the time .

Kyoto was a pleasant step down in intensity from Tokyo, and Nara is another step down again - it's about the size of Wollongong. 

Our first temple in Nara - kokofu-ji. Originally built in 710 but it's been repeatedly rebuilt after burning down.

 We loved the expansive exterior and the statues and painted pillar inside - sadly no pictures allowed. 

As we headed off, without realising it we were in famous Nara park. Famous for what? Trees, flowers, playgrounds (the Japanese seem to have no interest in these), or an historical event? No - for hundreds of very tame deer. 

Considered sacred, they have lived in the centre of town for over a thousand years. We loved feeding them the deer-healthy biscuits, and watching them cross the city streets. 

Then another highlight, the beautiful Isui-en Japanese garden with tea rooms. 

This part of the garden is in the 'borrowed style', with the man-made hill borrowing the shape of the natural hill in the distance. Presumably there is a spiritual purpose behind this aesthetic (?), but the aesthetic itself is lovely.

Finally time for a late lunch. Within 1 minute the Minister for Culinary Exploration found us a restaurant, complete with samurai armour 

and a water view. 

On the menu? Japanese style wood-fired pizza, cold Udon (no need to try that one again), 

and our first taste of sake. 

Having been served by the owner's 10 year old son, I felt ok sharing it with my underage son (the legal age is 20 in Japan). 

A great experience all round. 

Then on to the next temple - todai-ji, the biggest wooden building in the world, built to to house the Giant Buddha.

 

Australia has the big banana and the big pineapple, but this was way out of our league. And the two previous buildings (which burnt down) were actually wider! Such extraordinary engineering! 

We're not sure but it seemed like crawling through this hole was of some spiritual significance. 

Nearby, we appreciated the beautifully preserved and presented statues and artefacts from the period of the original temple - over 1000 years old. 

Templed-out, we opted for a  walk through mt kasuga primeval Forrest, an area left untouched for over a thousand years because it was deemed sacred. An enjoyable hike until we came to a sign - 'vipers here, no entry.' Tough Aussies that we are,  we considered pressing on, until google told us that 10 people die in Japan each year from viper bites. 

Finally we returned to Kyoto, enjoying another delicious meal and a spot of late night shopping - 9 levels of consumer goods still open at 945 on Sunday night. 

What a full last day before we move on to Hokkaido. 

So thankful for the enjoyment of all the planning and learning that went into making this week so interesting. So thankful for the helpful, generous and hospitable locals who have been so patient with us. 

But most of all, so thankful to have experienced all of this with my delightful son, who seems to find temples and history and culture interesting too. Thank you Father.