J+L in Transit

Arriving in Nara

We got off our train in Nara, dropped our stuff off at the front desk of the hotel, and went straight to the famous deer park. We snapped these photos along the walk.

Art in the Park

Nara Deer Park

Nara Park is famous for the hundreds of deer that roam around freely. The deer are revered as sacred and for hundreds of years killing one was a capital offense. The deer have become very comfortable around humans — and today you can even buy a pack of deer food for about $1.50. We immediately made friends with the deer.

We Made a Friend!

James Asks the Deer to Share Nicely

Lin Wants to Deer-nap a Deer for a Pet

This Deer Is Possibly Drunk

Oh, Hello!

Todai-ji Temple

The Todai-ji Temple is located in the heart of Nara Park. Until 1998, it was the world’s largest wooden building and it contains an enormous 50-foot tall bronze Buddha statue.

Exterior of the Temple

The Daibutsu Buddha Statue

Daibutsu from Another Angle

There Were More Giant Statues in the Temple

And Enormous Guardians

Statue Outside the Temple

Kasuga-taisha

We kept walking through the park and visited a large Shinto shrine, Kasuga-taisha. It’s located at the edge of a forest and the path is lined with hundreds of stone lanterns and of course — more deer.

This Deer Bit James on the Way to Kasuga-taisha

Hundreds of Stone Lanterns Line the Path