Tōdaiji and the Great Buddha of Nara

Spring Rewind: March 31, 2008


More tricksy deer work the crowded approach to Todaiji's great gate. Watch out girls, they bite!


A young boy shares his shika senbei with one of many sacred deer lounging along the tourist-infested main approach to the temple.


An artist sketches one of two nio, or "benevolent kings", enshrined in Todaiji's main gate, which is named after them (the nio-mon). Nio gaurd the entrance to most Buddhist temples in Japan in pairs, one with it's mouth open, the other, closed. Together, they represent Alpha and Omega, birth and death, the begining and the end. Created in 1203 AD, Nara's nio are the most famous in all of Japan, standing 26 feet tall.

Tourists stop for a sakura-framed souvenier photograph along the corridor leading to the temple's thoroughfare.

Todaiji towers over visitors, dwarfing everything in sight. Certified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Todaiji is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples. Despite the fact that the present reconstruction of the building, undertaken in 1692, is only two-thirds of the original size, Todaiji remains the largest wooden structure on earth, housing the world's largest cast iron Buddha at 57 meters wide, 50 meters deep, and 48 meters tall.

Sakura, silhouettes and stormy skies surround the home of Daibutsu-san, the Great Buddha of Nara. When the original construction had concluded in in 798, it was recorded that 50,000 carpenters, 370,000 metal workers, and 2.18 million laborers worked on its construction and furnishings, nearly bringing the nation to the brink of bankruptcy.


The Great Buddha of Nara is the world's largest cast iron Buddha, sitting at a staggering 14.98 meters and weighing 500 metric tonnes.


Framed by the temple's decorative woodwork and massive timber pillars.


The Great Buddha's left hand raised in the abhaya mudra, imparting fearlessness and reassurance.


Another temple gaudian, in full battle gear, glares ominously down at visitors.


A couple joins the crowd in snapping a few shots on their cell phones.


Like the buddha, this boddhisatva's left hand mudra offers reassurance. It's right hand depicts the Varada mudra, lowered with the palm facing outward, the gesture of bestowing blessings or of giving charity.

The "En" in Nara : 縁

Spring Rewind: March 31, 2008


Abbey and I beneath the weeping cherries and watchful eye of Himuro Shrine's Shishi. A shishi, which can be translated as "lion", often refers to a mythical creature with magical power to repel evil spirits..

Abbey's first day in Kyoto had been gray and rainy, but the next morning found us seated outside Starbucks, one of the many guilty pleasure we indulge in outside of Ena, enjoying sunshine mixed soy chai. As usual, we weren't exactly sure where the day would lead us, but since we were so close to the station, I suggested we head for Nara. Abbey had never been there, and in the interest of packing as much Kansai punch into her three day Kyoto foray as possible, she agreed.

A family struggles to satisfy the impatient hunger of Nara's tourist-chasing deer.

Within an hour we were walking the deer-infested streets of Nara, dodging their senbei-sniffing noses and side-stepping the plentiful pellets of deer droppings splattered on the surface of the sidewalk. One thing you'll never find in Japan is the desperate hordes of destitute, poverty-stricken children or tourist dependent adults begging and badgering you for money. Instead, they have sacred deer, free from harm, free to roam, and free from the burden of finding food for themselves. Tourists excitedly buy shika senbei, or deer rice crackers, to feed to the ravenous hordes.

Once the deer started to surround me, I made a break for it, hoping to escape unscathed.

I have been to Nara at least five times, but I had never tried or wanted to try feeding those freakin' deer. I knew better. But during my last trip to Japan, I was persuaded by a friend to give it a try. "It's not like they bite!" He laughed at my feigned excitement. Little did he know...

That's me getting attacked from both ends. The deer in front over-bit, planting a lovely slop of saliva on my fingers, while his buddy bit my bum from behind. I may look like I was pleasantly suprised, but I assure you that it felt anything but pleasant.

It's a hold up! Having unloaded all of his shika sembei on an unsuspecting victim (me), my friend escaped unscathed instead. To tell the truth, I'm suprised. Those deer don't look particularly pleased.


Elementary school children try to capture the craziness of Nara's infamous deer with their ketai, or cell phone, camera.


The five story pagoda of Kofukuji.

As we wandered through public parks and temple grounds, absent-mindedly admiring the anceint architecture and ethereal cherry blossoms, we stumbled upon a young American man traveling with his father who had seen us in Starbucks the day before. An exchange student spending a gap year studying in a Japanese High School, he had recognized me from my blog (something that, strangely enough, only happens in Kyoto). Before they knew it, we had high-jacked their peaceful father-son afternoon, insisting that they join us for our slow and study trek in the general direction of Todaiji, the Great Eastern Temple.

The great weeping cherry shading Himuro Shrine's gate.

Along the way we noticed a modest shrine on the main road overflowing with cherry blossoms in full bloom. They spilled over the brilliant tangerine torii, or spiritual gate, covering the graveled pathway like Anne's White Way of Delight. Sunshine spilled like watery jewels, dripping through the leaves, filtered by the velvety petals into clouds of playful light.

Our new friends flooded in sakura-filtered sunlight. (Snaps to Abbey for the shot).


Towering tendrils of blossom-burdened branches tumbling down....

Unfortunately, most shrines are not barrier-free.

More about Todaiji tomorrow....

We Met Takahina!

Kyoto Rewind: March 29th, 2008

Takahina, Gion's youngest maiko (as of March 29th, 2008) makes her entrance.

Before Takahina entered the traditional, tatami mat room, we took our seat at low, black laquered tables set in a U formation along three walls. The Okami-san, proprietess and manager of the okiya where Takahina lives, called Takahina to join us. Even before she made her entrance, we could hear the hushed rustling of silk and a soft, tinkling chime, perhaps from the dangling metal strips of her hair ornament.

When she finally appeared, emerging from a long dark corridor, everyone gasped, our breath stolen by the sheer spectacle of it all: Her breathtakingly beautiful kimono, the glittering gold thread of her obi, the stark white veil of her makeup beneath a halo of laquered black hair crowned with colorful slik flowers and shimmering silver tassles. Even apart from the exotic extravagance of her regalia, her sweet, subtle grin, delicate features and slender neck, all highlighted by her hair, makeup and dress, made quite a pleasant impression. Introducing herself in a charmingly child-like, high pitched voice, she bowed low, on her knees with her head almost to the ground, asking us for our favor. Yoroshuu otanomooshimasu!

Showing off the elaborate yuzen design of her luxurious, long-sleeved silk kimono, subtly shaded in the sweet pallet of early spring. Yuzen is a textile process that combines a mixture of freehand paste resist and painting, which may also include stencil and shibori work. The decorative flexibility possible with this combination of techniques is unsurpassed. Designs are initially outlined in paste resist, and dyes are then applied to give subtle gradations of tone. Both delicacy and lavishness are characteristic of yuzen, as are traditional themes and decorative designs. Embroidery and gold leaf are sometimes elements of yuzen composition.


Her hair, drawn up in the fashion of young maiko, known as the wareshinobu, compliments her long, slender neck, painted in white save for a fork of bare skin leading down to the risque plunge of her kimono collar.


Ningyou-ke? Is she a doll? (^-^) Have I ever told the story of the child seeing a maiko for the first time as she walked down Shijo with her mother? "Mama, look! Is that a doll?" She squealed excitedly. "That's a maiko-san", her mother giggled. "She does look like a doll, doesn't she. Isin't she cute?"

Takahina was accompanied by her Okami-san, who quickly noticed my brother and I. "Well, well, Takahina-san, we have some foreign guests who were kind enough to come and see us. Now's your chance to practice your English. Do you remember anything?"

"Umm..." She thought for a moment.With and irresistible shyness, she slowly formed the words, carefully pronouncing each sound. "Wheea aa you from?" she asked, smiling nervously. As she raised the intonation at the end of the question, a point that is often stressed in junior high school English classes, she tilted her head to one side, the fluttering strands of her hana-kanzashi (flowered hair ornament) resting on her cheek.

Keeping everyone entertained, making us all feel special!

Of course Takahina danced for us, but I was too caught up in the experience of it all to worry about taking pictures. Sorry!

Takahina, my brother and I.

Kyoto 2008 Rewind: Let the Hanami Begin!

March 29th: My First Day Back in Kyoto

Sleepiness is no excuse to stay in bed when there is sakura to be seen!

As I've said a million times before, Kyoto is my happy place. I could go there any time, in any season, for absolutely no reason, with nothing to do, and I would be happy just being there. But Kyoto in the spring is a different beast altogether.

Experiencing Kyoto in the spring is hard to put into words. It's as if the city itself is a geiko, veiling herself with snow white sakura and soft, subtle shades of pink cherry blossoms, accented with brilliant crimson camelias, adorning herself in all the riches of spring for her biggest engagement of the year.

Cherry blossoms line the Kamogawa River, leading the way into the heart of Kyoto.

A bike ride beneath the cherry blossoms gracing the banks of the Kamogawa River and Kawaramachi-Dori.

One of the reasons I love Kyoto is because of it's walkability. Most of the time I spend there, I spend walking. I usually don't have much of a plan. I just go wherever the day leads me. Since we had just arrived in Kyoto the night before, we couldn't wait to get out and see how far along the blossoms had bloomed, and revisit all our favorite spots.

Taking a rest to listen to the sounds of the Kamogawa beneath a lovely shidare-zakura (weeping cherry).

A couple debates which way to go outside the newly renovated gate to Yasaka Shrine, also known as Gion-san.


Two young women in colorful kimono on the steps leading to the gate. The girl on the left is unmarried, which is why she continues to wear the long sleeved furisode kimono. The short sleeves of the young lady on the right signify that she is indeed off the market.


Married women chat inside the temple grounds. Behind them, hundreds of poor fortunes were tied to ropes in a hope that the visitors might be able to leave there bad luck behind.

An unlucky fortune tied amongst the cherries inside the shrine.

Special lanterns hung in Gion announcing the up-coming Miyako Odori, the annual spring dance of the Gion Kobu Geisha district.

A popular hanami spot in Maruyama Koen (Park).


Two ladies try to get a shot infront of a beautiful weeping cherry.

My brother and I on Tatsumi Bashi (Bridge) over the Shirakawa stream in Gion.

When my brother tried to get a picture of me on the bridge, a small group of Japanese tourists gathered around to snap a few, too. These guys even asked if they could get a picture with me, first with their cameras and then with their cell phones. "Bijin da ne!" (You're a beauty, aren't you!) Um, not exactly boys, but arigatou! Did I mention I love Kyoto?

Many people dress in Kimono for cherry blossom viewing, especially in Kyoto. Ketai are the camera of choice!

If you're going to wear kimono, you may as well go all the way! Many tourists dress up as maiko or geisha to sightsee and have souvenier pictures taken. Most of the "geisha" people see during day are actually just tourists playing dress up!

A young girl tries to get the perfect sakura shot with the help of her mother and older sister. I read somewhere that during a lifetime, the average Japanese person takes approximately 7,312 pictures of cherry blossoms.

It's also true that the size of a Japanese person's camera seems to increase proportionatly according to their age. Here a bunch of ojiisans (old men) snap away at the sakura.

Kimono-clad hanami along the Shirakawa.

The monument in rememberance of Yoshii Isamu, the poet and fellow Gion-ophile whose poem is engraved on the rock: No matter what they say, I love Gion. Even in my sleep, the sound of water flows beneath my pillow.

More coming soon!

My First Misedashi or The Death of My Camera Lens

Today Miyagawa-cho welcomed Kyoto's two newest maiko into their ranks, bringing Kyoto's maiko count to a grand total of 102, the highest in over 40 years!

I wasn't quite sure my poor camera lens was up to the task, after the beating it's taken lately. The final straw was a fatal fall after I fell victim to a sneek-up tickle-and-run attack by a little girl in Miyagawa-cho. She caught me off my gaurd, holding my camera as I almost never do: by the strap, lens dangling down to ground.

Anyone that knows me knows I am extremely ticklish. My poor lens never stood a chance. The instant that little gucha-gucha girl got her fingers on me it was out of my hands, quite literally.

By all appearances it survived unscathed, and for the rest of the day it fought like a trooper. By the next day it stubbournly refused to zoom out. Since then I've been stuck between 50 and 105mm (way up from the usual 24-105 range). I still had some wiggle room, so I I've been trying to make the best of it.

The Misedashi: My Camera Lens' Last Stand

Then just before the misedashi, I realized it was stuck at 105mm. As if it wasn't bad enough that it was pouring rain. I kept my cool, thinking "at least I can still take pictures, right? Yay! My first misedashi!"

Take pictures I did! Trust me for that (^_<) My little lens hung in there until the very last. When it was over I headed to the Sanjo Starbucks in Pontocho to recharge. The second I sat down my lens just came undone. Long story short, it looks like I'll be headed to the nearest Canon service station tomorrow if I plan on taking any more pictures this trip! It wouldn't be that bad, but I spoke to a semi-pro photographer today who said it will probably be a few days and a few hundred dollars. And by few, I mean five. Five hundred dollars! Nande yanen!

So anyone who wants to chip in to help save my camera lens, Mboogiedown is accepting donations at PayPal (^_<)

Maiko + Sakura = (^_^)

Someone looks happy! Clouds of cherry blossoms and a cute young maiko named Ichiharu make for one memorable hanami pre-game festivity... More on that later (^_<)/