On our second day with our drivers, they took us all the way out to Nara, which is about an hour from Kyoto in another prefecture. Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 - 784.
We stopped first at a small, rural Buddhist temple.
Then, we went into Nara itself. At the next stop, they had deer that you could feed. Our drivers bought us some deer food, and we suddenly became very popular. The deer are gentle, but pushy. If you don't feed them quickly, they'll nibble at the back of your shirt.
Todai-ji temple in Nara is the largest wood building in the world. It was built in the 8th century, but it has burned down twice since then. This latest building was completed in the 1700s. Look at how huge it is compared to the people; even still, the original building was 33% wider than the one that stands there today. Inside is an enormous statue of Buddha that fills the entire center of the temple.
There were lots of school children on field trips. The kindergarteners were super cute. We were minor celebrities; all of the older kids stopped to take pictures with us and speak English. At a lot of the temples and shrines we have visited, we have met with school kids who have assignments to speak with foreigners.
Mr. Sato found us a yummy place for lunch. We sat on tatami mats on the floor.
This is the gate to Kiyomizu temple.
A lot of older high school girls and college aged girls will rent fancy kiminos, or where their own when they come to visit Kyoto. It's sort of like dressing up for the prom - or in your pioneer clothes - except much prettier. These girls spoke a little English. One of them will be studying at UC Irvine in the next year.
In Japan, when you're goind to do something great or brave, you'll say you are "going to leap from Kiyomizu Tower". It's sort of like saying you're "going to take the plunge" I guess.
We have had two fantastic days! But now I'm going to bed.
We stopped first at a small, rural Buddhist temple. 
Then, we went into Nara itself. At the next stop, they had deer that you could feed. Our drivers bought us some deer food, and we suddenly became very popular. The deer are gentle, but pushy. If you don't feed them quickly, they'll nibble at the back of your shirt.
Todai-ji temple in Nara is the largest wood building in the world. It was built in the 8th century, but it has burned down twice since then. This latest building was completed in the 1700s. Look at how huge it is compared to the people; even still, the original building was 33% wider than the one that stands there today. Inside is an enormous statue of Buddha that fills the entire center of the temple.
There were lots of school children on field trips. The kindergarteners were super cute. We were minor celebrities; all of the older kids stopped to take pictures with us and speak English. At a lot of the temples and shrines we have visited, we have met with school kids who have assignments to speak with foreigners.
Mr. Sato found us a yummy place for lunch. We sat on tatami mats on the floor.
This is the gate to Kiyomizu temple.
A lot of older high school girls and college aged girls will rent fancy kiminos, or where their own when they come to visit Kyoto. It's sort of like dressing up for the prom - or in your pioneer clothes - except much prettier. These girls spoke a little English. One of them will be studying at UC Irvine in the next year.
In Japan, when you're goind to do something great or brave, you'll say you are "going to leap from Kiyomizu Tower". It's sort of like saying you're "going to take the plunge" I guess.
We have had two fantastic days! But now I'm going to bed.
