A DAY OUT IN NARA

Every week finds us doing something new here in Japan and this week is no exception. First off we made a Skype call to our daughter Holly for her birthday. We had to wait until midnight our time on the 13th so that it would be a descent hour in Oregon (8:00 am) for her. It was so great to hear her voice and to share what we had already done on April 13 and to hear what she was going to do for her birthday that day. Her birthday was the first one that we have had to celebrate 1/2 way around the world. There are more to come as we will be here in Japan until July 7.
So, what did we do on Holly's birthday?
We were treated to a wonderful day in the city of Nara by our friends the Satos. Nara is known for their deer. There are literally hundreds of deer that roam the city park and they even venture into the roads and on to the medians. They are considered wild but we found them to be tame, or at least they certainly aren't afraid of people. There are little concession stands around where you can buy deer food but we brought our own - cabbage and they loved it. Here is a video of Steve and the deer bowing to one another. It was so funny and amazing to watch them. They all did it and we don't really know how or why but every time we'd laugh at how cute they were.



In the big park area sit the largest wooden building in the world, the Todaiji Temple. Most buildings that large have steel girders but this is just made of wood. It is 187 ft W X 165 ft D X 160 ft H. It holds the largest Buddha, measuring 49ft H. It was built between 710-794 AD. As you look at the building, notice how little the people are. This will give you some idea of how big this building is. Inside they have a tree trunk that has a hole cut in it that is the same size as the Buddha's nostril and people are allowed to crawl through it.

As you can see, I made it through.

Well, it is pretty much the end of the cherry blossom time. The trees are beginning to lose their blossoms and be replaced by reddish green leaves. As we walked through the park it was like walking through a pink hazy snow storm of drifting petals. The ground was a carpet of pink and a deer or two were snacking on the petals. The trees that still held tight to their blossoms created a canopy over our heads. What a lovely day we have had with our friends Akira & Kiyo Sato but now it is time for dinner. So we stopped off at a restaurant for some Okonomiyaki-Japanese style hotplate pizza made from grated cabbage, flour, egg, meat of your choice, which is all mixed together and fried on a griddle that is built into your table top. Then topped with mayo, a sweet soy sauce and very thin fish flakes. Believe it or not it is very good. Well, Steve didn't like the fish flakes.

What a great way to celebrate our daughters birthday. We were only sorry that she wasn't with us to enjoy it but we know from our earlier phone call with her that her girls had made her breakfast and she was going to have a wonderful dinner out with her husband. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLLY!