Nara Park
East of Hirakata is the city of Nara, home to the beloved Nara Park. This park is a popular location for foreign and local visitors alike. The park’s most popular attribute and official mascot is the Shika deer. Their spotted likeness has been merchandised successfully and displayed by all visitors entering the park. Shika deer are a species of wild deer native to Japan that have been domesticated in the area. Hundreds of deer, large and small, roam the park grounds sunbathing and looking for food. Due to their high level of domestication, visitors can hand feed and pet the adorable creatures. Many of the deer are so mild mannered that children can pet them without fear of being nipped. Some smarter members of the herd will bow their heads before receiving a rice cracker. The deer are by far the most eye-catching attribute of the park but there is a lot of history on the grounds trod by their furry guardians.
Todaiji temple is a 1,300-year-old structure that houses some of the biggest Buddhist statues in the country. The grand south gate visitors must pass before even approaching the temple stands over eighty feet tall. Inside the gate there are two statues guarding the entrance that stand significantly higher than any visitor can hope to match. Todaiji’s main temple houses what is affectionately called the big Bhudda. The statue is a massive statue of Buddha holding an outstretched hand to visitors. The statue is so enormous that two fully grown men could comfortably sit inside the outreaching hand. Several other statues inside the temple pose similar intimidating presences. One of the support columns houses a fun challenge for smaller visitors. A small hole has been carved into the interior of the wood for a small crawl space. Local superstition says that if one can crawl inside and sit comfortably then they are well on the path to reach enlightenment. Inside of the temple guests can purchase souvenirs unique to the temple such as replicas and stamps for stamp books.
After visiting Todaiji temple and feeding the deer, visitors can partake in the local street food or travel a few blocks over where the ancient park yields to modern civilization. It is a strange yet humorous site to sit in a Starbucks and sip a coffee while watching the Shika deer eat the grass around an ancient temple. Once guests finish eating, they can travel across the park to the Nara National Museum. This museum is broken into two separate buildings. The first building is a two-story museum housing original artworks, scrolls, and tapestries of Japanese culture dating back hundreds of years. The exhibit that left the deepest impression on my mind was a collection of scrolls handwritten by a Japanese emperor several centuries ago. The emperor used an extremely expensive black ink to dye the paper where he wrote his instructions for the construction of several temples in the area. The actual ink was made of liquid gold that had been modified to act as calligraphy ink.
The two buildings are connected by an underground tunnel that stretches a quarter mile long. Inside the tunnel are several wooden statues in various stages of development. Reading the displays while transferring buildings will show how traditional Buddhist wood figures were carved. Coming out of the tunnel leads into the second building that houses ancient statues of various materials and sizes. The exhibits range from thumb sized jade dragons to two story bronze Oni statues cut with hyper realistic details. One could easily spend hours reading each plaque and getting a glimpse inside of the minds from artists centuries before us. Nara Park is an ancient yet fun park to visit in Japan. Feel free to feed the deer and wear the felt antlers but do not forget to dig deeper and find an appreciation for the history on display. 
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