A visit to Nara is one of the best day trips from Kyoto. It was the first permanent capital of Japan and home to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Todaiji Temple, as well as other temples and shrines, and the Nara National Museum.
Travel Tips: From Kyoto, we took the Kintetsu line to Nara Kintetsu station, which is closer to the Great Buddha than the JR station. Once you get in Kyoto Station, which is really two stations, the JR and Kintetsu, it’s easy to follow signs to Kintetsu. We suggest you spring for the Kintetsu direct express (tokkyu), which is faster and more comfortable. It’s a short ride on a modern train.
Sacred Deer
Once you come out of the station, turn right and walk past the park and follow the crowd to Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha. On the way, you walk past Nara Park, where you’ll be greeted by hundreds of deer. Once considered sacred, they have roamed free for 13 centuries and today look for handouts or a scratch.
Daibutsu
Once you arrive at Todaiji Temple, you’re overwhelmed by the scale of Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha), the largest wooden structure in the world. No matter how many people are there, it can easily accommodate them.
Inside the hall is the Great Buddha, the largest bronze Buddha in the world. The original was completed in the 8th century. Nearly 50 feet tall and 500 tons, it looks down at you as you make your way in and around the great hall. There are Buddhas on either side, and a pair of guardians in the hall, Komokuten and Bishamonten.
Behind the Great Buddha is a large pillar with a hole that is said to be the size of the Buddha’s nostril, and people—schoolchildren—can crawl through. A story goes that by squeezing through, you humble yourself enough to gain enlightenment in your next life.
From Daibutsu-den, we walked about 10 minutes up hill through a park to Nigatsudo Hall, a sub-complex of Todaiji. It’s a beautiful walk with plenty to see on the way, and as you walk around the hall, you’ll find a nice view over the city.
Nara National Museum
Rain began to fall so we went to the Nara National Museum, and we weren’t disappointed. The museum has two buildings – the older building with a vast and interesting permanent Buddhism collection, and a newer building with special collections. We were lucky to get a look at a Yohen Tenmoku tea bowl from the Fujita Museum. The bowl, from the 12th or 13th century, has a tenmoku glaze with iridescent spots that look like the stars in a galaxy.
