Kyoto Day Trips: Nara and Horyuji

"Let go of my shirt! Stop butting me in the ass! No, I don’t have food for you!" Honestly, you can talk at them all you want, but the deer at Nara will neither understand or care. Also, you had best give them what they want or they may put in a bad word about you with their supernatural friends. These tiny, annoying, but cute animals are believed to be messengers of the gods. In fact, they are so revered that in the whole of Nara, there is a ban on hunting them. You can guess what happened next. The giant rats reproduced unchecked and now thousands of them freely (and without fear) roam around Nara.

Most of them have the good sense to stay in or around Nara Park where there are vendors selling deer snacks and plenty of tourists to buy their wares. However, some can be seen walking around the city proper. Thankfully, vendors and shop owners keep brooms handy and are consistently on the lookout for scat. It’s hard to find a bigger foot traffic deterrent than a pile of poo on your doorstep. Wow, this blog is not headed where I thought it would be. We’ll come back to the deer later.

In addition to getting in touch with your inner Artemis, this trip is also about history and wood, specifically wood buildings. The world’s oldest wooden structure is located just outside of Nara and the world’s largest wooden building is actually in Nara Park. That’s right! You guessed it. They are both World Heritage sites. Horyuji, the oldest one, was actually Japan’s first recognized World Heritage Site, which was quickly followed by many more. Both of the buildings are Buddhist temples and at one time, Todaiji (the largest one) was the most powerful Buddhist temple in Japan.

Horyuji 

Start your day at Horyuji. Be warned, this will be the most expensive temple you tour in Japan. They charge $100 JPY per century and its 1,500 years old. Once you do the math, it is worth a visit. This is the oldest building I’ve ever seen by a thousand years, making Jamestown and Himeji Castle seem like architectural infants. Of course, bits and pieces of the temple have needed to be replaced over the years, but the original structure still stands and some of the replaced pieces, such as eaves, are on display in the temple museum.

As you walk around the complex, you’ll have to admit that the temple and pagoda both look pretty good for being almost 2,000 years old. Considering Japan’s history of earthquakes and fire bombings, it’s amazing that they are still standing, let alone looking clean and sturdy. By the looks of them, both buildings will probably outlast our lifetime. These monks know what they’re doing.

Currently, the pagoda is being used to house statues that predate the complex. I know this because visitors are allowed to peek inside and have a look at their worn faces. The indoor, directional lighting of the pagoda creates shadows and an intimately eerie setting. As if from any one location, you can’t ever see a statue’s entire face. I digress, the point is that there is much more to Horyuji than just an old building to see.

Nara

After touring the temple and taking a stab at mindfulness, it’ll be time to head back to Nara for more temple trekking and deer frolicking. Before venturing out of the station, grab lunch. You’ll have your choice of sushi, katsu, curry and other Japanese favorites. Honestly, I miss katsu terribly and wish Taiwan could learn how to cook pork properly. Take your time while eating, you’ll need strength for the afternoon’s adventures, which may begin by having to run after a deer that is triumphantly galloping away with your map. To get started, catch the sight-seeing tour bus from Nara station to Todaiji Temple. It’s a short inexpensive ride and the buses run every ten minutes. There’s no need to go looking for deer, they will find you.

On your walk to Todaiji Temple from the bus stop, deer will start to randomly follow you, nosing your bag and occasionally butting you in the legs. It’s incredibly adorable, because they are tiny and have been de-horned. But seriously, my dog is better behaved than this. On second thought, that’s probably to be expected. Also, the humans are just as bad. Occasionally, you’ll see deer lying down around the park, trying to rest. At which point, visitors rush over to try and get selfies with them. Be careful which deer you choose to pose with. Does tend to spook more easily, but are definitely cuter. Whereas, the bucks won’t spook, but they may decide to tackle you while your back is turned. These deer are not above fighting and will sometimes attack silly humans.

When you’re done pretending to be Diana, have a look around Todaiji Temple. You do have to pay to get in, but the price is a reasonable $500 JPY. Basically, it’s a large temple with large statues. There are many statures inside the temple, but the most famous one is the bronze Buddha. In fact, you have the pleasure of viewing the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. It just so happens that this Buddha is protected by Japan’s most famous guardian statues. With their fierce expressions and giant proportions, these statues actually made more of an impression than the Buddha. Their presence is enough to make anyone think twice about messing with the Buddha, even if it does have a giant tempting door in the back of its head.

Upon exiting the temple, you can continue your tour around Nara Park or do what we did and abandon the rest of the day’s plans in favor of some free time back in Kyoto before dinner. Both are excellent choices. If you decide to stick it out in Nara, make your way to Kasuga Taisha Shrine and then finish up with Kofukuji Temple before catching the bus back to the train station. Both of these sites are located within the park and I’m sure the deer will keep you company as you make your way around.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine is famous for its thousands of lanterns and Kofukuji Temple is home to Japan’s second tallest pagoda. These places sound pretty cool and I’m a little sad that we didn’t stay to check them out, but only a little. Kofukuji is supposed to be one of Nara’s top three temples (the other two are Todaiji and Horyuji), so you may want to at least grab that one on your way out.

One last thing to consider when planning your trip to Nara is Nara Dreamland. Google It. We opted out because of the $50,000 USD fine, but you should at least be aware that it exists. You’re welcome.

Getting Around

This is one of the easiest trips you can make from Kyoto. Just hop on the train. There’s absolutely no need to reserve tickets because the trains run so frequently. In fact, I don’t even think you could reserve tickets if you wanted to. Also, all the trains are covered by the JR Pass. If you don’t have a pass, don’t worry about it. Nara is only 45 minutes away and tickets are reasonable.

To get to Horyuji, take a train from Kyoto to Nara Station. Once there, transfer to a local train going to Horyuji station and get off. It’s a short ride and the trains run frequently. From here, you can either take a bus or walk to the temple. To fit everything in, you’ll need to leave Kyoto station by eight or nine in the morning. Also, try to finish up Horyuji by eleven or twelve and be on your way back to Nara for lunch. If you plan to see everything, you’ll need most of the afternoon for the other temples. Have fun and say “hello” to the big rats for me.