Next stop Osaka, then on to Nara!
After viewing Himeji castle we made a quick stop in Osaka to view the Osaka castle.
If you have limited time in Japan, I’d suggest skipping this one. Although the outside of the castle looks impressive, everything starts going downhill as soon as you approach the main doors and realize they are the automatic sliding type. The entire inside is modern and designed like a museum and gift shop. If you like studying history and can read Japanese, it’s worth a stop when you don’t have any other pressing plans, otherwise don’t bother.
Our next stop after Osaka was Nara, another previous capital of Japan and the end of the Silk Road that Marco Polo traveled on. This city is a treasure trove of historical artifacts and early international influences.
When we arrived it was already night, and we decided to visit a famous gate that marked the southern walls of the ancient city.
The next day we went to visit the daibutsu or “Giant Buddha” that is the largest Buddha statue in Japan. On the way there we saw a lot of deer. Deer in Nara have been considered sacred for centuries.
The word for deer in Japanese is “shika”. These shika are so used to humans feeding them that they are not afraid to approach and sniff your clothes for food.
Statue inside gate entrance leading to the daibutsu, looks fearsome.
The daibutsu is housed in the largest wood building in the world, just google “largest wood building in the world” if you want to read more.
That is one large buddha.
December 11th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Love the pictures, and info that goes with them. Thanks
December 11th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
i’m pleased with how some of the photos turned out..