The Great Buddha - Daibutsu

The prime attraction in Nara, the Todai-ji Temple is the largest wooden building in the world.

It houses the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), which is also one of the largest bronze images in the world.

On the way to the main hall is the Nandaimon Gate with two fierce looking Nio guardians at the sides.
These two creations were carved in the 13th Century by the sculptor Unkei and are considered to be among the finest wooden sculptures in all of Japan.
There are several halls within the compounds of Todai-ji Temple. They are Daibutsu-den Hall, Shoso-in (Treasure Repository), Kaidan-in Hall, Nigatsu-do Hall, and Sangatsu-do Hall.
The Daibutsu-den Hall, or Hall of the Great Buddha, houses the monumental bronze image of the Great Buddha, which was meant to proclaim the power of the imperial state. The statue dates back to 746 and is the representation of the Dainichi Buddha, the cosmic Buddha believed to have given rise to all worlds and their respective historical Buddhas.

Nara Park

The Nara-koen was created from wasteland in 1880 and now covers a large area. Popularly known as Deer Park, it contains over 1,000 tame deer, which are sacred and symbols to the shrine of Kasuga Taisha. In the past, these deer were considered to be messengers of the gods. Today, they enjoy the status of national treasures and are free to roam the park and its surrounding areas. Many of the historical relics of Nara are conveniently located around this finely wooded park

Feeding the deer, I felt a little bit like being back in Texas and feeding milk to the baby Barbados or baby cows at my grandfather's farm. Awww....memories!!!




'lil Fatty!

Watch out now!

Home Sweet (Smelly w/ limited showers) Home

The Uno House

You know, you can never go wrong when Lonely Planet lists a place to stay or check out in a city......but when Lonely Planet lists a place that starts with the description "Sure, it's a little run down, but you can't beat the price." Why not check it out!?! At least - that's what we did!

Ok - Ok, it wasn't TOO bad. Hot water and we had our own private room and it was close to lots of attractions and it had no curfew AND it was bigger than the hostel/closet I had in Yokohama....so all in all - cheap and nice! Just watch out for "creepy eye" one of the owners - we think!

I wish I had one of these!

Thanks Phil! :)


BTW:
I found this website about complaints of being a JET - kinda comforting knowing I'm not the only one who deals with these things-
http://www.zen13795.zen.co.uk/jetsurvey/teachpupilproblems.htm

Cave D'Occhi Winery - Maki

Last Friday - Phil, Grace, Melissa, and I went for dinner at the Maki Winery. Tucked away (literally....it was a rough dirt road near the mountains) in the countryside that is Maki, we had a 6 course meal. AMAZING! Every dish was mouth-watering - esp. the dessert that you see in the picture! Before hand we sampled some local wine and Phil and I bought some yummy German sausage! I can't wait to go back soon, the service was fantastic - they even made us our own personal English menu - That's always a PLUS (+)!!!

Toji - Eastern Temple

The pagoda of Toji stands 57 m high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. It dates from the Edo period, when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu.
Recognizing the historical and spiritual significance of Toji, UNESCO designated it, along with several other treasures in Kyoto Prefecture, a World Heritage Site. Today it is an oasis of calm in central Kyoto.

Here's part of out jumping series from Golden Week. Ya-know - you get a little bored taking the same'o same'o all the time and want to have a little fun. I was joyed to see the China group did some jumping shots as well - check out Ros's blog: http://spaces.msn.com/kamoshi/PersonalSpace.aspx

NICE GUYS!!! :)

Nijo-jo

The Nightingale floors, or uguisubari, were designed to make a chirping sound when walked upon. These boards were used in the hallways of some temples and palaces, the most famous example being Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Dry boards naturally creak under pressure, but these floors were designed so that the flooring nails rubbed against a jacket or clamp, causing chirping noises. The squeaking floors were used as a security device, assuring that none could sneak through the corridors undetected.







Nijo-jo began as a mansion built by Nobunaga in 1569. The castle Nijo-jo was erected in 1603 to be Tokugawa Ieyasu's headquarters when he was in Kyoto. The donjon was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1750. It was never rebuilt. Ieyasu's palace is filled with beautiful works of art and is very well preserved. The Ninomaru Palace was mainly used for administrative affairs and reflects this in the many offices and meeting rooms it contains. It is designated a National Treasure.

3 Girls going to the Big City - Kyoto

So, as I mentioned before - we took the overnight train straight from Niigata to Osaka...except well....we just got off at Kyoto at 6:30 in the morning.
Shanna got the top bunk - since all three were stacked together. The beds were quite funny. Beth got the bottom one which had the most room, meaning you could SIT up straight in it and still have comfy room...the higher you got the more ghetto it got. By the time you reached the top, you could hardly sit up straight w/o hitting your head. AND just getting up there was a challenge!



I was okay, I got the middle bunk! Just kept hitting my head on that DAMN coat hanger rack!

The whole ride was like some freaky slumber party! You have the girls to party with but then weird Japanese guys keep walking by in their robes and slippers, smoking when their not suppose too! This was our favorite guy - i miss him!
View from our prison windows! Bye Niigata!


BETH - showing off the nice foot wear. I've grown to enjoy the blue slippers over the brown ones - what's y'all favorite!?!


After getting aboard, we changed into more comfy clothes and well, it may not really LOOK it, but we pulled out the CRUNKY, Chu-hi, and Pringles and had a little "Watch out Kyoto" shin-dig! NICE!
hehe More to come...