Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine
Nara is a popular pilgrimage spot for religious types and tourists alike, owing to the preponderance of temples and suchlike.
Japanese religion is primarily split between Shinto, an indigenous polytheistic form of ancestor worship, and Buddhism, which arrived from China in the sixth century. Buddhism (I think) has the larger following, although Shinto is the "National" religion. Some people even follow both, and there are a few overlaps between the two. At the temples and shrines, people can buy a "fortune" (some hopeful prediction on a slip of paper,) which they then tie to some part of the building to make come true.
Nara is predominantly Buddhist, and the main attraction of is the Todai-ji temple, which houses the biggest Buddha I've ever set eyes on. No bull.
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The great Buddha of Nara, a 15-metre-tall bronze statue that fills the temple. Quite an impressive sight, even through the clouds of incense. The Buddha seemed in quite a good humour, despite the chattering crowds of schoolgirls on organised trips. |
| The Great Buddha was originally unveiled in 752ad by Emperor Shomu. Apparently, in the 9th century, its head fell off (earthquake- quelle surprise) and the right hand was also melted in a fire in the late 12th century. It looks fine to me though. |
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This is going to require some explanation. Toward the rear of the temple, there is a pillar with a hole in it the size of one of the Buddha's nostrils. Whether the size is indicative of anything or merely coincidental, I don't know. Anyway, if you can squeeze through the hole, it's apparently very good karma, or juju, or whatever.
Mike wanted his photo taken climbing through, and then proceeded to get himself wedged. I dropped the camera, grabbed his hand and dragged him halfway through, before "jokingly" wandering off, leaving him at the mercy of any passing sodomites, plus the hordes of giggling schoolkids.
As Mike's breathing grew increasingly laboured, I relented and dragged him the rest of the way through, but he scrambled away from the hole before I could take a commemorative photo, having apparently developed claustrophobia during his ordeal. So we took a photo of some random schoolkid instead. |
| Probably my favourite bit of the trip: uphill from the packed temple is this beautiful Shinto shrine. Gratifyingly, the tour guides marched straight past the place, leaving us to sit on the steps in total peace and quiet, enjoying the drinks we'd bought from the vending machine. I kid you not. |
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