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aintneverhadfriendslikeus · 7 years ago

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Parcly Taxel: Both the Canterlot pageant on the founding of Equestria and our distinctively Japanese dinner in a secluded corner of Osaka, on Hearth's Warming Eve, were pretty big things. However, on Hearth's Warming itself we were going to do something more, a day trip to Nara (奈良) in the outer Keihanshin.

Spindle: Just like with Seoul and Pyeongchang, Nara is considered as a faraway recreational town by the inhabitants of Osaka. With Pyeongchang the distance was literally the width of South Korea (~180 km), two full hours on a canter on icy roads with hypnotic suggestion. With Nara the spatial distance was much shorter (~50 km) and the problem lay more in transport options: the fastest route there was one hour via the private Kintetsu (近鉄) while JR's route was longer. Inside Nara, things were much worse.

Parcly: Such oddities that arose out of the post-war track-laying boom, but I would take them by the horns. Getting to the Kintetsu lines required riding the Loop to Tsuruhashi (鶴橋) first, five stops from Sakuranojima. What seemed to be an exit showed itself at platform level; when I put my ticket in it was rejected.

That was not an exit at all, only a transfer to JR's Nara Line. The actual exits were two levels below, where I bought the continuing Kintetsu tickets.

Spindle: As this second train approached Nara, our elevation increased until the sprawling Keihanshin radiated from Osaka Bay in shining grey, the boundaries between cities and towns lost under the skyline. It disppeared behind a hill, leaving the low-lying houses and flats characteristic of gentrification around us, some overrun by vines, others flaking off plaster and the remainder staying very still. Only isolated bunches of ponies proved these were not ghost towns we were passing through, though I admit I'd be excited to meet and communicate with the spirits of other species.

Parcly: A light chill breezed past my face when I exited the station. Two deer, one clearly a buck with his short antlers and one a doe, were standing nearby chatting away, but scurried off to the local park after noticing me. Most of Nara's population is in fact deer, so I wasn't surprised at all… until one minute later.

Hiyaka: I was at that exit with my brother Namaka – and she didn't recognise me. Cries of "a-li-corn! a-li-corn!" went around, the deer astounded at seeing such a majestic pony arrive. Once Parcly entered the park proper, the herd nuzzled her with their black noses and rubbed their coats on hers, enjoying the silky blue hairs the latter sported. She tried to sweep them away with her wings and give them flour crackers for appeasement, but these only allowed the cloven-hooved fans to reach further in.

When they tickled her belly, Parcly finally broke up in laughter, rolling on the soft earth as the deer's positions dictated. Later, Namaka and I followed her to Tōdai-ji (東大寺), part of Nara's own World Heritage Site system, the fourth visited in this trip so far.

Spindle: Before Kyoto was the capital of Japan, Nara was, though attesting structures have met a less favourable fate against time than Kyoto's. This temple alone has been burned down twice, shaken by earthquakes and ravaged by typhoons, costing much of its original splendour. For example, the current main hall is 30% narrower than the original, while a sōrin (相輪) is all that is left of two hundred-metre-high pagodas.

Yet equally immense sculptures are still resident inside, including the Vairocana/Daibutsu (大仏) centrepiece, the world's largest bronze statue of its kind at fifteen metres in height. I threw a coin and made a wish before continuing on the circle around the statue, along which were presented a history and reconstructions of the original structures.

Namaka: Why are we so common here? It is said that a brilliant white deer descended from heaven to protect the capital Heijō Palace (平城宮) near Nara. Since then, we have come to view ourselves as protectors of the city, roaming the streets and fields without restraint. The aforementioned palace, Tōdai and six other places form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, the actual complex inscribed as World Heritage.

Parcly: I went up an incline for my lunch of tempura udon. On my way down through Nara Park, I passed by one of those other inscribed places, Kasuga-taisha (春日大社), which appeared to be closed for the day. Resupply trucks were on the scene, having used the smooth borders of staircases to get up, and I watched as two such trucks got down onto the main road. A very bumpy dozen seconds.

Namaka: All along, we brushed with deer of myriad sizes, fur colours and patterns (note that we are sika deer, Cervus nippon, so the last property is a bit hard to distinguish). Scenery isn't lacking either, the winding transverse paths covered with expansive swathes of grassland, dotted by trees revealing mountains beyond their empty branches, animated by refreshing streams and ponds.

Hiyaka: While the four of us strolled or floated down the elevation gradient, I threw a few questions at my new friend Parcly, one of which was the etymology of baka (馬鹿). I did not know the answer, only that the two characters signified the two species we were, pony and deer.

Parcly: So I related to Hiyaka this story from Mistmane's era: a deer general serving in the imperial court walked into the throne room, calling himself a pony. The sitting emperor then challenged other subjects in the room about the general's species; those who told the truth, saying he was a deer, were put on trial. Thus the Chinese idiom 指鹿为马 (deception via misrepresentation), which was borrowed into Japanese.

Hiyaka: When she finished, we decided to go baka ourselves, tickling each other with our muzzles or hooves in public view for a full half-hour. Eventually Parcly's thinner coat begged to stop, by which time we were closer to JR's Nara than Kintetsu's. I waved goodbye with my brother to her, the train pulling away towards central Osaka.

#Parcly in Japan #Japan #Nara #Parcly Taxel #Hiyaka #deer #doe #nuzzle #bellyrubs #tickling #laughing #Todai-ji #on back

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mirrorka · 5 years ago

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🦌 大立山まつり「奈良ちとせ祝ぐ寿ぐまつり」 🦌 奈良のお祭り大集合！踊りに太鼓に時代行列！奈良グルメもほぐほぐ！世界遺産・平城京跡で行われる冬の祭「大立山まつり」が奈良各地の伝統行事を見ながら、地域特産のおいしいものが食べられる「奈良ちとせ祝ぐ寿ぐまつり」になりました。舞や太鼓、時代行列をはじめとした伝統行事のほか、お坊さんの講和、マラソン大会、奈良時代紹介のVRシアターと、もりだくさんの二日間です。 https://omatsurijapan.com/blog/ootateyamamatsuri/ オマツリジャパンにたくさん情報集めました😄 #大立山まつり #大立山祭 #奈良ちとせ祝ぐ寿ぐまつり #ほぐほぐ祭 #ほぐほぐまつり #オマツリジャパン #平城宮 #平城宮跡 # #奈良 #Nara #わたしは奈良派 #私は奈良派 #奈良県景観資産 #nara_landscape_heritage #anatabi #aumo #histrip_japan #jalan_travel #matcha_jp #mycanon365 #otonatabi_japan #reco_ig #retrip_nippon #sagojoinsta #おとな旅プレミアム #フォトコンテスト #時短トラベル #楽天忘れられない絶景 Location:奈良／Nara CANON EOS 5D MarkⅣ 2020/1撮影 (Heijō Palace) https://www.instagram.com/p/B75kNyRnYo5/?igshid=1duwfe9d20ck

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johnmidsummer · 5 years ago

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冬の暮の平城京。去年の今日に撮った写真。師走、朱雀門の手前のススキはまだ見頃。夕日で焼けた雲、朱雀門、ススキ、昔の人々もこの景色を見てきただろうか。走っている人と電車の配電線はこの歴史ローマンが溢れた場所に、少しでも現実感を与えた。 . 撮影日:2018.12.30 . The scenery of Heijo Palace in a winter early evening. . #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #写真撮ってる人と繋がりたい #カメラ好きな人と繋がりたい #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #lovers_amazing_group #tokyocameraclub #loves_united_japan #special_spot_ #total_shot #sorakataphoto #deaf_b_j_ #unsquares #raw_japan #photo_travelers #japan_photogroup #広がり同盟 #total_asia #loves_united_asia #ig_shotz_asia #wu_asia #beautiful_kansai #SonyAlpha #奈良好きな人と繋がりたい #奈良 #平城宮跡 #朱雀門 #ススキ #Nara #beautifuljapan #japan_daytime_view (Heijō Palace) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6r3uPBgL9J/?igshid=d1oc5dqigt3a

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virginiaovers · 6 years ago

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Nara Guide: Historical Nara Temples and Shrine

Explore historical and once powerful Nara temples and shrine in this travel guide. Enjoy the religious wonders around the city including the oldest wooden structure in the world.

Nara was Japan’s first capital from 710 to 784, and during this time Buddism had a strong influence on politics especially the Imperial Family. The Imperial Family or the influential Fujiwara family built Todaiji and many Nara temples.

Among the many temples, the best well known are Nanto Shichi Daiji (The Seven Great Temples) and the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. The two lists has a bit of overlap (in bold below) and we had the chance to visit many of them during our trip to Nara.

The Seven Great Temples of Nanto (南都七大寺):

Gangō-ji (元興寺)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Yakushi-ji (薬師寺)

Hōryū-ji (法隆寺)

Saidai-ji (西大寺)

Daian-ji (大安寺) (did not visit)

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara:

Gangō-ji (元興寺)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Yakushi-ji (薬師寺)

Kasuga Grand Shrine (春日大社 Kasuga-taisha)

Tōshōdai-ji (唐招提寺)

Heijō Palace (平城宮 Heijō-kyū) – Nara Palace Site

Kasugayama Primeval Forest (春日山原始林 Kasugayamagenshirin) (did not visit)

Historical Nara Temples and Shrine

Nara temples and shrine are mostly close to today’s city center. However, there are a few that are quite a bit of distance from Nara Station. Since we had only 2 days, we rented a car to shorten our travel time (Read on Ultimate Guide on Driving in Japan). EVen though compared to other Japanese cities, there are no convenient subways in Nara. The good news is there are city buses that can take you to all the locations.

Come join us as we check out Nara temples and shrine. We’ll start from Kasuga-taisha and make our way westward and towards the south to finish our trip at Horyuji.

Kasuga Taisha (Kasuga Grand Shrine) (春日大社)

Kasuga Taisha is Nara’s oldest and most famous shrine. This beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site has thousands of stone and bronze lanterns, and the brilliant vermillion columns with white walls surrounded by lush green trees. It is one of the main attractions in Nara and we did a full post on the shrine so check it out over here.

Todaiji (東大寺)

Located very close to Kasuga Taisha in Nara Park, Todaiji is one of Japan most famous temples dating back to 752. The gigantic wooden structure houses the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue. We also shared a detailed post so please check it out.

Kofukuji (興福寺)

As we make our way westward from Todaiji, Kofukuji is the first temple we’ll visit. Its history goes back to 669 in Kyoto and it was moved to the current location like many other temples in the city at the time when Nara became the capital. At the time, Kofukuji was a powerful temple with large influence over politics due to its tie with the Fujiwara family. The power remained for centuries and only started to fade around the 15th and 16th century. Kofukuji’s landmark is the five-storied pagoda dating back to 1426. It is currently the headquarter of the Hosso Sect of Buddhism.

Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō), 1426 (National Treasure)

East Golden Hall (東金堂 Tō-kondō), 1425

Central Golden Hall (中金堂) reconstructed

Gangoji (元興寺)

From Kokufuji we’ll head just a bit south to visit Gangoji. According to the literature from Gangoji, Emperor Sushun constructed Japan’s first Buddhist temple named Hokoji and later called Asuka Temple due to its location. When Emperor Genmei decided to move Japan’s capital from Asuka to Nara in 710, Asuka temple was moved and renamed Gangoji temple after its reconstruction.

Gokurakudo (Mandala Main Hall)

If you are short on time, this is one of the temples we would recommend skipping.

Heijo Palace (Nara Palace) 平城宮

Continue heading west and make a stop at the ruins of the Heijo Palace. The palace was imperial residence and government center for Nara period (710-784) when the capital moved from Fujiwara. Heijo Palace is no longer there today and there were no traces of it for a long time. Starting in the 1970s excavations on the site started and reconstruction of the palace wall and gate has happened during the recent years.

Daigokuden (Imperial Audience Hall) at Nara Palace

On the site near Daigokuden, there is an Information Center for Reconstruction Project with a model of the palace and what’s happening with the reconstruction efforts. It took 9 years to rebuild the Daigokuden and it was completed in 2010.

Model of South Gate and Daigokuden

The information center not only included the restoration plan but also showed visitors how its using methods from the 700s for the reconstruction.

There are exhibits in the information center for hands-on experiences on how the tiles were made and techniques used in woodworking.

There is a Nara Palace site museum as well where visitors can see the excavation process and many artifacts found on site are displayed. We enjoyed our brief visit to Heijo Palace. It is a very large area so you will need a bit of time walking to the museum, Daigokuden, and information center from Suzaku-mon gate.

Saidaiji (西大寺)

As we traveled further west, we stopped by Saidaiji – the Great Western Temple. It is one of the seven great temples and in its glory day a counterpart to Todaiji.

Shiodo Hall

Saidaiji is known for Shakyamuni Buddha in its main hall and a tea ceremony in April called O-chamori, and today it is the main temple for Shingo Risshu sect of Buddhism. The feeling at Saidaiji similar to Gangoji, less grand and expansive compared to other temples. However, back in its heyday, it was very powerful and influential. If you are short on time, we recommend skipping Saidaiji.

Hondo – Main Hall

Former location of the eastern pagoda

Bell Tower

Toshodaiji (唐招提寺)

Toshodaiji is located south of the Saidaiji. It is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara and today it’s still the headquarter of Ritsu Sect of Buddism. The name is unique as the “To (pronounce [toh])” in the name was derived from Tang Dynasty (唐) character. The temple was built in 759 by Chinese monk Ganjin. History says that Ganjin tried to go to Japan six times to spread Buddhism and even lost his eyesight in the process due to hardship.

Golden Hall

The temple grounds at Toshodaiji is quite massive and beautiful. Besides many historical buildings, there’s a beautiful forest filled with moss on the way to Founder’s Shrine. It is worthy of a visit when you’re in Nara.

Mossy forest

Ganjin’s grave

Kaizando Temple

When Ganjin passed away in 763, there was a statue made of him that can only be viewed a few times a year. For more people to enjoy the statue, inside Kaizando Temple there is a replica of Ganjin Wajo statue created in 2013 that can be viewed daily.

Yakushiji (薬師寺)

Just a bit south of Toshodaiji is Yakushiji, which dates back to 680. It was first built by Emperor Tenmu for his wife, Empress Jito in Fujiwara. It moved to the current location around 718. The temple had been destroyed by fire in the past and only the eastern pagoda is still the original. However, the pagoda is currently under a 10-year restoration project until June 2020 and covered up. We stopped by but did not enter the temple.

Western Pagoda

Eastern pagoda under restoration

Yakushiji Temple World Heritage Sign

Besides the symmetrical pagodas and the grand main hall, Yakushiji temple is known for the Genjo-Sanzo Precinct. The Genjyoto pagoda inside the precinct holds part of Chinese monk Genjo-Sanzo’s remains. He was the monk which Wu Cheng’en had based his Journey to the West (最遊記) story on.

Horyuji (法隆寺)

The last temple we visited during our trip to Nara is Horyuji. It’s a bit far from Nara Station and takes about 1 hour by bus. However, it is significant in several ways and worthy of a visit. Firstly, It is the first site in Japan recognized by UNESCO. Secondly, it contains the oldest wooden structures in the world.

Nandaimon (South Main Gate)

Stone carving stating Horyuji is Japan’s first UNESCO site

Horyuji was built in 607 by Prince Shotoku and Empress Suiko and it is expansive, its ground covers over 46 acres (187,000 m²). Many of the buildings on the property have significant cultural and historical value and are classified as national treasures.

Kondo (Main Hall) and Five-storied Pagoda

The Kondo (Main Hall) and Gojunoto (Five-storied pagoda) dates back to 6th century and recognized as the oldest wooden structures in the world. The great lecture hall (Daikodo) dates back to 990 after the original one burnt down.

Daikodo

Main Hall

Saiendo (West round Hall)

Besides the many buildings, there’s also a gallery of temple treasures which contain many priceless items (no photos allowed). Due to its distance from Nara Station, if you have four hours to spare, then head over to Horyuji. It is worth visiting during your trip from Nara only if you have enough time.

Nara Temples Recommendation

It was very interesting for us to see the different states each temple are at today versus their golden years in the Nara Period. For instance, many of temples kept their large estates while others have dwindled to a much smaller presence. Regardless, for many centuries these temples and shrine had a large influence on the Imperial Family and people of Japan.

We didn’t have time to enjoy each temple in detail, so we would recommend selecting a few and spending more time to understand the history and national treasures on display at each. Our visit to Nara was a great experience to share with our family and we hope you enjoyed the quick tour as well. Thank you for reading and if you are planning to head to Japan for a vacation, check out our Japan travel posts.

Nara Guide: Historical Nara Temples and Shrine published first on https://zenramensushi.tumblr.com/

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oniwastagram · 6 years ago

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＼おにわさん更新情報📸／ ‪[ 奈良県奈良市 ] 平城宮跡東院庭園 Heijokyo Toin Garden, Nara の写真・記事を更新しました。ーー #奈良時代の宮殿「平城京」内に残る日本庭園の祖とも言える池泉回遊式庭園。国の #特別名勝。・・・・・・・・雪降ったら庭園行くぞ！⛄️と意気込んでたものの、我が家（東京西部）は全然そこまでじゃなかったから出掛けなかったのですが、東の方が降ってたのか…行けばよかった… てことで通常の更新📝 世界遺産「古都奈良の文化財」にも構成されている奈良時代の宮殿「平城京」内に造られた池泉式庭園。なお「平城京跡」自体が広大なので朱雀門からも徒歩15分程のとことに位置します。「東院」と呼ばれるこのエリアはかつて皇太子の宮が構えられていたエリアだったそう。平城京そのものの発掘調査が始まったのが大正〜昭和初期にかけてで、この庭園の遺構が見つかったのは昭和の中期。その後の調査を元に庭園および建物が平成年代に復元され、現在の #池泉回遊式庭園の形となりました。当時の #称徳天皇をはじめ、天皇や皇室がこの庭園で宴を催していたとされます。発掘された州浜に忠実な庭園になっているので必要以上の緑がなく現代的な華美な感じはあまり無いのですが、それ以降の浄土式庭園・大名庭園といった日本庭園の基礎が知れる庭園様式となるので思うところある。また今回の3回目の訪問は初めて天気も良く春日山⛰の眺望も見えたのも素晴らしい！なお同じく平城京の庭園の遺構である「平城京左京三条二坊宮跡庭園」は休館日に当たったり修復に入ってしまったりとまだ見られていないので、いずれ行きたい…。その他、初夏に名勝庭園が公開される「法華寺」は近く、徒歩10分もしない距離にあります。〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜 ‪🔗おにわさん記事URL：‬ https://oniwa.garden/heijo-kyo-toin-garden-%E5%B9%B3%E5%9F%8E%E5%AE%AE%E8%B7%A1%E6%9D%B1%E9%99%A2%E5%BA%AD%E5%9C%92/ ーーーーーーーー ‪#庭園 #日本庭園‬ ‪#garden #japanesegarden ‬ #naragarden #kyotogarden #奈良 #奈良県 #奈良市 #nara #新大宮 #shinomiya #関西 #kansai #おにわさん‬ (Heijō Palace) https://www.instagram.com/p/Btp_ZsDlvj9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gq8lsva1veu4

#奈良時代 #特別名勝 #池泉回遊式庭園 #称徳天皇 #庭園 #日本庭園 #garden #japanesegarden #naragarden #kyotogarden #奈良 #奈良県 #奈良市 #nara #新大宮 #shinomiya #関西 #kansai #おにわさん

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