[Nara] Heijo-kyō is not just about deer

#10月好去2024 #100的旅行 #Sign up for October hotel test sleeper #Nara travel Before arriving in Nara, my biggest expectation was to see the polite deer that would bow. I started making plans the night before and temporarily decided on the Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Wakakusa Mountain route. Todaiji Temple is a very old wooden temple with a huge size and several layers of gates from the outside to the inside. There are many people visiting it so you won’t go wrong if you just follow the flow of people. Inside the temple, there is also a brief introduction to the history of the temple's construction, as well as models of Todaiji built in different periods, to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the temple's history and development. Coming out of Todaiji Temple and walking up the mountain road, you will reach Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Compared with Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine with its red beams and pillars looks much newer. There are many small shrines in the courtyard, but there are only introductions in Japanese. Kasuga Taisha also hosts traditional Japanese weddings, and we saw one that day. The guests all wore kimonos, and the bride and groom wore more complicated traditional dresses. Finally we arrived at Mount Wakakusa, which is actually only open to the halfway point, but it is enough to overlook Nara. With the blue sky and white clouds, looking at the deer and lawn in front of you, the roof of Todaiji Temple nearby, and the city of Nara in the distance, one can't help but relax. Then let’s talk about the deer. From the moment we entered the tourist area, we saw more deer. The deer in Nara Park and in front of Todaiji Temple are a bit greasy and fierce, but the deer near Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Wakakusa Mountain are much cuter and more polite. We stayed at the newly opened Nara Novotel this year. It is not located in the tourist area but closer to Shin-Omiya Station. However, it is not far from the JR station and there is the Shizuka main store nearby, so we could try the kamameshi, which was very enjoyable. The hotel's facilities are very new, the rooms are very large, and the staff's service attitude is very good. They helped us check in early and called a taxi after check-out. It was a very comfortable day.