We have been to Osaka before and gone into Kyoto but today, as arranged before we left home, we are meeting our Goodwill Guide, Shizuko and her trainee, Yoji, for our day trip to Nara (Japan's old capital)…. A happy welcome greeted us and Shizuko had our day planned and mapped out, so off we set. A short train ride and change of platforms before boarding the relatively fast train and we were there in around 40 minutes.
We were pleasantly surprised by the surroundings in Nara, not the old city we were imagining but busy streets, modern buildings and lovely parks. Beautiful tame Sika deer, roamed freely around the parks and streets without a care in the world. We walked and walked from one Temple to the next and also visited the Kasugataisha Museum.
The Todaiji Temple was the most impressive of all with a truly massive bronze Buddha taking pride of place inside. This wooden temple was founded in the 8th century but has been burnt down twice as a result of wars. The present structure was rebuilt in 1709 and has been scaled down to two-thirds of its original size… but it is still the largest wooden structure in the world.
There were many school students on excursions and we were bombarded with giggling girls asking where we were from and to sign their work sheets. We went to a small noodle restaurant for lunch and it was good to sit down!!
Shizuko and Yoji spoke good English and were very proud of their heritage, also giving us thorough information about all the sites we visited!! Nara is unique - will never forget those gorgeous deer mingling and posing for the crowds.
A wonderful day with lots of happy memories and after Shizuko & Yoji delivered us back to the ship, we then wandered around for a while. Osaka also has a 'big wheel' at the port (along with many cities around the world now) and it was awash with brilliant colour as we sailed into the distance. We now have 8 days at sea, crossing the North Pacific Ocean, all the way to Alaska.
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