Okay, I'm seeing tons of you guys posting this on your Blogs and I just can't stop myself either. I'm so excited!!! :) I'm gonna be down south Niigata with tent and all. These are a few of the bands that I really HAVE to see, but I have a list of others as well. Yayy!
Fushimi, a sake production center just south of Kyoto, hosts the most famous and important of the roughly 40,000 Inari shrines in this country. Inari is the Shinto god of rice and sake, two central and essential commodities both in the culture and history of trade and life in Japan. As such, with the rise of industry and the diminishing importance of agriculture, the role of Inari shrines has grown to represent success and prosperity in business.
Characterizing the site are numerous statues of foxes, messengers of Inari, and guardians of the shrine. A pair of stone fox statues stand on guard at the entry to each of the site's shrines and sub-shrines. Inari's foxes are said to be helpful, but others are said to be dangerous and bewitch people, sometimes even in the guise of beautiful woman. Foxes are also believed to be capable of possessing humans, entering them under their fingernails. A key often seen in the mouth of a fox statue is for the rice granary.
The shrine complex also has four kilometers of paths and trails winding up through woodlands to the top of the mountainside where a good view of Kyoto can be appreciated. Walking through these trails can take between two to three hours.
Keeping in character with the shrine, kitsune udon ('fox udon'), a noodle soup topped with pieces of aburaage (fried tofu), a favorite food of foxes, is served at small restaurants along the hiking trail as is Inari sushi, fried tofu wrapped around sweetened rice, which also gets its name from this place. A slightly different local delicacy available here is barbequed sparrow.
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. 
the 13th Century by the sculptor Unkei and are considered to be among the finest wooden sculptures in all of Japan.
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!
The Uno House
Thanks Phil! :)
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 (+)!!!
