Nara: Todaiji Temple and Killer Deer

      I had been planning a trip to Nara the first week I arrived in Japan. And time after time, weekend after weekend something has always come up, whether it be  lack of funds, the weather, or change of plans it seemed like going to Nara was a distant deer filled fantasy. However, the opportunity came when I was invited to tag along with my friend over spring break!

     I'm from  Upstate New York, where seeing a deer out in the open alone is an excitement so being up close and personal with about over a hundred friendly deer was endlessly fun for me. We took a bus right from Nara station to Nara park, though it turned out it was only like a 10 minute walk away. The park is about medium sized, there's benches, vendors, and the two museums filled with Buddhist art and ancient artifacts. 

My friend and her minions




Oh and over a hundred hungry deer.

     I had been warned. My Japanese professor had told our class about the over zealousness of the deer, I've heard the stories of old obaachans getting knocked over or children getting bitten. But when I looked into those cute black eyes did I believe any of those horror stories?  Nope, not one bit. In my innocence I joyfully bought some crackers and fed the herd of deer that flocked around me, took numerous deer filled selfies, snapped up close pictures, and just when I thought I was safe....they attacked.

Yeah they definitely did bite.

My friend and I had sat down to eat some green tea flavored ice cream on the curb. Things where looking good, no deer seemed to be interested in us, the ice cream was delicious, weather not too hot or too cold. A group of young Japanese kids walked by all laughing at a small deer that followed them. They stopped for a moment in front of us petting the deer and trying to take pictures.  Much to our misfortune, the moment the deer found out they were cracker-less he turned his ravenously hungry eyes on us. And in the process somehow summoned about six of his friends. We were bum-rushed  and mugged by deer like an episode of when animals attack. And worst of all, they stole my ice cream. Jerks.

Do not be deceived this is the face of evil

After the theft of my ice cream I had spied a pleasant looking old lady selling baked yams. The sign had read 200 yen, or so I thought. As the lady grabbed and wrapped my yam she asked not for a reasonable 200 yen I had already waiting and ready, but for 800 yen. For all of you who don't know me personally, I'm extremely cheap when it comes to my own money. That's an 8 dollar yam right there. You know what I can get for 8 dollars? A whole set meal, two medium Starbucks coffees, a days worth of train fare, reasonable things. Not a side street baked yam in a brown paper bag. But if you also know me personally you know that I have a horrible habit of not wanting to complicate situations. And this often means I say Yes when I really mean Hell No. So I begrudgingly handed over 800 yen and took my yam.

Post deer mugging photo

But besides over priced yams and being bullied by a four legged animals, Nara was beautiful. We had gotten to most of the temples fairly later in the day so towards sun down it seemed like we were the only people in the area. Although the major sections of Todaiji Temple were closed, we were free to walk around and take pictures without the hundreds of  temple goers. 

Main Gate of Todaiji Temple

     All the temples and shrines I've visited in Japan have had their own ethereal qualities, but Todaiji at dusk was not only the most evocative but the most other worldly place I've been to thus far. There's something about the shear size of the grounds that magnifies your singularity. Something about the worn faces of the Buddha and other statues that makes you feel like a bleep on the radar but at the same moment makes you feel entirely connected.

     It's a hard feeling to put to words, but as I ran my fingers over the wooden railings, large stone pillars and listened to the soft rustling of the budding sakura trees around me I felt in every respect, full. Of greatness, of potential, of thanks, and of a vague but growing sense that this is where I should be at the moment. I was always a person who thought that I knew myself and yet I'm constantly discovering new parts of me.

There's a proverb I learned recently in Japanese, "いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず" or The frog in the well knows not of the great ocean. I never want to be that frog, trapped stuck in a well never knowing of what lay outside of me. And as I looked out at the skyline of Nara I think of all the ups and downs I've had in Japan. The questionings of my own abilities, the funny and awkward stories I've collected, and the people I've met and I am nothing less than eager to experience more of it. There's moments when I think I'm getting greedy, overwhelmed by this ocean outside of my well.

Happy exploring everyone!