Nara and the giant buddha,,,

Nara is 45m by Rapid Express from Kyoto on JR's Nara Line (the same line that runs to the tourist hotspot of Inari, and the warmspot of Uji). There are many things to see in Nara, but for us, the main attraction there was the giant buddha in the Todai-ji ("Eastern Great") Temple. It proved to be worth the visit!

Entrance to Nara Park at the top of Sanjodori Street.

Striking design of the National Museum Buddhist Art Library

Like many/most Japanese temples, Todai-ji is protected by a massive gate called Nandaimon ("Great South Gate"), which tries to rival the spectacle of the shrine itself. And either side of the gate are giant and fierce-looking guardians. The gate guardians are, as usual, dusty monsters really difficult to photograph because they are behind wire mesh, in speckled light with their heads in the dark. Nandaimon featured in the John Wayne movie The Barbarian and the Geisha as a city's gates. And, the famous British soprano Sarah Brightman has performed in concert at Todai-ji.

Huge gate guarding the Todaiji shrine.

Fearsome guardian defending the gate at Todai-ji.

The Great Buddha Hall, called Daibutsudenitself is a massive wooden structure, supposedly the largest such in the world, although this ~1700AD model is 30% smaller than two previous incarnations both lost to fire. The original was built in 752AD. There is no doubting that visitors are awestruck when they first absorb the size of this building.

The Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji in Nara, the world's biggest wooden building.

Complex eaves and detail on the Buddha Hall.

Massive doors to the Great Buddha Hall.

Guided school group at the Great Buddha Hall.

Inside the Hall is the huge 500t bronze (but painted black) buddha, Vairocana or Daibutsu, another awe-inspring sight with amazing vital statistics. The statue's shoulders span 28m.

Front view of the great bronze buddha.

And another view.

One of the guardians inside the Great Buddha Hall.

Wooden buddha with healing powers.

Todai-ji is within the huge Nara Park on the east end of downtown. The Park is home to deer which are regarded as "divine messengers" in buddhist mythology. Signs warn that the deer are "wild" and that they will "bite", "kick", "butt" and "knock down" but what they seem mostly interested in is cadging food off visitors. They know where to find it too - vendors in the park sell "deer crackers" touted as being safe for deer consumption.

The wild deer in Nara Park know exactly who is selling the "deer crackers".

It's about 2km from Nara Station to Todai-ji and we walked there and back and around town. There are many interesting things to see in the park, the main street and the back lanes.

This Sorin (a set of treasures) would normally be placed on top of a pagoda.

Five storied pagoda in Kohfukuji Temple topped with Sorin.

Dragon head faucet at the Sourthern Octogonal Hall in Nara.

Fruit tree with the Southern Octagonal Hall at the Kohfukuji Temple.

Great cycad at the Jokyoji Temple.

Pleasant shopping and dining lane in Nara.

Intricate rainwater guttering on this Nara building.

Our hotel in Nara was the Nikko, affiliated with the airline JAL. It is connected to the station, so very convenient, and we watched trains from our tiny room.

Predawn view of Nara across the station from the Nikko Hotel.

You can't beat a hotel connected to the railway station, especially when its snowing when you leave.