As we had already spent 3 days in Osaka last week we hadn’t been to Nara, and so we chose this Princess Cruises excursion.
Slipping into port at 8am this we prepared to disembark at 9am. Our guide for the day was Hiro, a lovely English speaking Japanese woman. The plan for the day was Nara, then back to Osaka for Osaka Castle, which we had been to previously and finally Dotonbori, once again for us.
Something that our guide pointed out to us that we hadn’t noticed before was the red triangles on the windows of high rise buildings. These large triangles are the official entry point for fire brigade rescue, the windows are selected because they are close to clear indoor paths and the glass is easier to break. Mind you this little fire truck that we saw in Hiroshima did not look like it was saving anybody higher than the 3rd floor!
Driving along the expressway was in no way ‘express’. It was peak hour traffic and there had been an incident ahead, so our driver ended up taking another route and soon we were out of the city speeding along a more rural setting.
Nara is actually Japan’s first permanent capital city, But is was not really permanent as it was followed by Kyoto and then Tokyo. Todaiji Temple is a World Heritage Site and is a Buddhist temple. Temples are Buddhist and shrines are Shinto (Japanese religion) and both faiths blend harmoniously.
This temple holds the giant bronze Buddha which is 15 metres tall and weighs 500,000 kilograms! In the temple there is a famous square hole at the base of a large wooden pillar. It is believed if you manage to crawl (more like worm) your way through you receive good luck and enlightenment.
The town of Nara is full of deer, and they have lived in the area for more than 1300 yers. No one would ever consider eating them as they are considered to be ‘divine messengers’. They are everywhere! Cars stop as they wander across the roads, we were warned to make sure we closed any doors if we entered a shop or they would be inside! You can buy special crackers to feed them but we didn’t get any, we just watched. At one point I thought Lance had nudged me to move on, buy a cheeky deer had poked me with their nose from behind!
The brief stop at Kasuga Taisha Shrine was worthwhile. It is one of the most beautiful and celebrated Shinto shrines in Nara, featuring over 2000 stone and bronze lanterns. Established in 768 and rebuilt numerous times over the years, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lunch was at a smallish establishment and we were presented with an array of Japanese food. We gobbled it down and really enjoyed it.
Back on the bus we headed for Osaka Castle. We chose not to walk up to the Castle for two reasons, We had been before, and it was blistering hot. So we sat in a shady area with a beer for Lance and a fresh pineapple sofa for me. By the time the others returns they were quite a bedraggled lot!
Our last stop was Dotonburi, where we had also been a few days previously. Our quest was to find a drugstore for some bits and pieces, the Gilco Runnng Man sign, which we missed last time and to have some Takayuki (octopus balls) from a place called Wānaka that we had seen in many YouTube clips when researching this holiday. Easy name for us to remember being the same spelling as out own Wānaka in NZ! And we found all three!
Takoyaki are a classic Osaka fast food. They are cocked in a special pan and are constantly flipped as they are cooked and end up being a little batter ball with a small piece of octopus and tastiness. The they are covered with a variety of mayo or bbq sauce and bonito flakes. Bonito is a type of fish that has been simmered, smoked and fermented then shaved. They are constantly moving at this stage and look alive.
We chose a variety plate of takoyaki and could sit inside to eat them. In every YouTube clip that we watched the consumer of the takoyaki popped them in their mouth whole and they are so hot they would have had the skin hanging off the roof of their mouth for days! Therefore we were very cautious, Lance poked little holes in his with the skewer provided for eating them takoyaki and I bit a vent hole before venturing in. And we were not disappointed, they were delicious! In fact I am feeling hungry as I write this remembering how good they were. We have had them before, in fact you can get them freshly cooked at Parnell Markets in Auckland. But these were the best ever.
We finished the days with some more of the candied strawberries on a stick and this time I managed to come away clean without any strawberry dribble on me or my belongings!
The following morning we went freestyle into Kochi. After disembarking we were waiting in quite a long queue ship side for a taxi to take us to Hirome Markets which are close to Koche Castle. In front of us in the queue were a Japanese couple, probably around our age. The man asked us in his Broken English ( but much better than our limited Japanese) if we were going to the Castle. We managed to convey that we were going to the markets and he looked on the map and saw they were close to the castle and indicated that maybe we would like to share a taxi. Next minute he has gone onto the taxi app ‘Go’ and nabbed us a taxi that had just arrived and we jumped the queue! They were a lovely couple and very jolly. They dropped us to the markets first and as we jumped out Lance threw him some money, as we knew that he would not want to take any. There was a lot of tooing and groins before we finally made our escape. It is difficult because the Japanese are so honourable and humble that to take our money could be an insult, but for us it was just not the right thing to not contribute.
The markets were very nice and more spacious, even though they had the same configuration as previous markets. One long street that is covered with a very high glass roof. The shops were nicer as well and we had our first decent coffee at Douter which is a coffee shop chain. Nothing was purchased, but I did try on a couple of dresses that actually did fit. And one dress that I thought I may have to get the assistant to help me as it was not designed for a person with front veranda as robust as mine. My arms were poking out the top as I tried to wrestle it off! Phew!
We had an easy evening and Lance managed a Karaoke song, which received much appreciation for the audience.
Hiroshima tomorrow!
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