Taiko Concert

The program bought us all tickets to a super-famous Taiko (drumming) show in Asakusa. It was FANTASTIC!!! The performers are all muscle, very athltic! The lighting was great too, and the entire show was really entertaining, especially the bit where they used the ball/cup child's toy... I had never seen anything like it!!

And the outfits... at one point the men were only wearing a sort of Japanese thong... see pictures below. I was quite shocked.



































They move the drum sticks so fast all you can see is the flash of the glitter on the ends of the drumsticks. It is a blur even to the naked eye.












Me and our Program Advisor and her beautiful daughters!! She is so helpful and fun to talk to, I am really glad we have her around to help us! Plus she booked the tickets, and got us super-good seats on the orchestra level!

Nara miscellancy

Nara has several nice parks... at this one I saw turtles (see left)!!!!












LEFT: "Shoro" the bellfry... the bell is 3.9 meters tall, 2.7 meters in diameter and weighs 26.3 tons, making it the 2nd largest bell in Japan.

Todaiji and Daibutsuden 東大寺

Home to a HUGE buddha (called daibutsu in Japanese) is Todaiji temple and its Daibutsuden hall. Created in the year 745, This buddha weighs 500 metric tonnes and is BIG:

• Height : 14.98 meters
• Face : 5.33 meters
• Eyes : 1.02 meters
• Nose : 0.5 meters
• Ears : 2.54 meters

Thanks Wikipedia!












He doesn't look so big in the pic, but compare the mini golden buddhas floating around his head to the same mini buddhas in the other pictures!










BELOW: the large wooden building housing the big buddha, it is supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world.
















LEFT: the gate entrance to the Todaiji... even the gate is big!

LEFT: a cool lantern in front of the building















LEFT: another smaller buddha statue

Kofukuji Temple

Yet another temple in Nara... Kofukuji has several buildings, including two pagodas, an octagonal hall and some museums.

LEFT: the stairs leading up to Kofukuji.

I also went to the "Treasure Hall" (こふくじこくほかん） which houses a lot of Buddhist art, including yet another HUGE buddha. Ancient buddhist sculptures in every size and with any number of arms filled this small museum.







FAR LEFT: one of the pagodas

LEFT: the octagonal hall (Nan'en Do)















LEFT: deer hanging out by the pagoda!

Kasuga Taisha and Kasugayama Primevial Forest

This is one of the places I visited in Nara. It is seemingly famous for its numerous lanterns, both stone and metal.












The shrine was mostly orange (like usual) symbolizing the sun in Shinto religion (as was explained to me by a volunteer tour guide that the British lady that attached herself to me for the day had gotten... and then she made me pay for his lunch...)














LEFT: a bit of the "forest" which was really nothing special compared to Oregon, but quite nice after 3 months in Tokyo.

The Deer of Nara

These pictures remind me of Gramma and her Eugenian deer :)

Sika Deer are a protected animal or something in Nara, and they are highly domesticated. They are supposedly the messengers of the gods in teh Shinto religion. You can see them in Nara park (and smell their droppings!). The deer at left is hanging out on the "National Heritage" sign, which is somehow oddly amusing.





LEFT: the deer-cracker stand. You pay 150yen to get a stack of crackers that make the deer attack you... which is pretty amusing. I'm not sure what keeps them from stealing the crackers from the cracker vendor... they must have a gentleman's agreement! :P













LEFT: me and the deer, they weren't too interested after I ran out of crackers...

Kyoto Summary

So.... I just updated a LOT of posts! To keep it all straight, this is what I saw in Kyoto:

• Kiyomizudera
• Heian Jingu
• Sanjusan Gendo
• Gosho (imperial palace) I didn't go in, and it was rainy, so no pictures!
• Kinkakuji
• Shisendou
• Nanzenji
• Nijou Jou (castle)
• Nijou Jinya (the inn where Daimyo would stay when visiting the castle, had trap doors etc., no pictures allowed)
• Gion
• Fushimi Inari

Shisendou Garden

One of my favorite sights in Kyoto! It is north from Kyoto station, at the base of the Higashiyama hills. It is soto-zen buddhism.

I really liked the temple (or whatever you call it). Very quiet and peaceful. And beautiful views from the tatami rooms!

Heian Jingu Garden

Typical of the Meiji period, this garden is spectacular. I really enjoyed it, hadn't realized it would be such a good investment of 500yen! It is right inside the Heian Jingu complex.


LEFT: they had cool stepping stones (and you know I love stepping stones) in the lilly pond!






By the lilly pond!

















LEFT: The sign says something like the first train car in Japan... ?

















BELOW: a spectacular bridge/pagoda... something I had only seen in books!!!































A quiet pathway around the garden.