Japan's first Capital, the giant Buddha of Nara

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We didn't realise quite how close we were to Nara while in Osaka. Most of our journeys between places have taken around 3-4 hours and involved at least one change of train, how lucky we were this time that the local train station next to out hotel, in the middle of dodgesville, had a direct service to Nara that took 42 minutes, cash back.

So we arrived here around 10am and as per usual we hit the tourist info looking for accommodation, there are two Youth Hostels here and we went for the bigger one as it's was recommended by the chic at tourist info who spoke teckle English, it's not the cheapest place we've been but we got a bed for a couple of nights and we spent next to nothing in Osaka, with hindsight we could have stayed there for another two nights and commuted to Nara both days but this will do.

As is with most of the hostels in Japan the females and males sleep on separate floors in their own dorms, the dorms are real small here though, anything from 4 to 8 beds a room, not like the 16 to a room nonsense that you get in Oz. So that's what we booked and headed up to the hostel so see what the craic was.

First impressions were good, real big but nice, loads of communal space but a real empty feeling, it was kind of eerie, we sound found out why, the place is emptied between 10am-3pm, i.e. you have to get out as they clean the place from top to bottom, no problem, we ask to leave our bags as check-in isn't until 3pm, again the norm here.

The dude says that's no problem then tells us that out room is clean already so we can go drop our stuff there. He only gives us one key so I think we're getting to share one room, we put our stuff in and see it's only a 4 bed number, sweet, we're half the population, I go down and ask him if the other people have checked in yet, there are no other people he tells me, we have the room to ourselves, excellent I think, then he tells me that there are no other people, AT ALL, we're the only people checked in.............

This place must cater for about 200+, there are 3 huge floors with about 15 bedrooms on each and we're the only people here, it's mental, just knocking about in this huge open space, there's about 10 staff too, 6 cleaners come and scrub every piece of the hostel for a couple of hours every day, there's only two of us making it dirty.....

It is the most bizarre feeling that we've had on this trip, luckily 2 more Japanese dudes checked in for our second night but they're on the males floor, we're in a female dorm, so we don't see much of them. We had a wee chat with them in the kitchen though, one of them is an architect who's fascinated by the Forth Bridge and the other dude is a student who went to Edinburgh to see some fireworks two years ago. Murder. No much more chat than that I'm afraid, well unless you count the chat about Manchester United, Fiona doesn't.

Anyway on to Nara, it's a really nice wee town with loads of temples, shrines and parkland, complete with thieving gypsy deer that seem to have the run of the place, not on my watch, if a deer tries to eat my sandwich it's not cute, it's theft, and thieves have to be prosecuted, agreed? So after chasing after a deer what else did we get up to in Nara? We just generally loafed around, it's not a busy place so it was nice to just wander the streets and take a casual gander around the temples.

As always we got harassed, not in a bad way, from school kids wanting to take their photo with us, wanting to chat in English and that, all harmless but tiring. We had a nice spot of lunch at a place called Mo's, they didn't seem to mind that I was drinking a carry-out with my lunch so that was good, sometimes I wonder if they're just to polite to say anything, it's so much cheaper though, who knows, maybe I'll bring the concept of BYO to Japan?

Off to Tokyo tomorrow for a few nights before heading on to Seoul, we've had a great time in Japan, it's been real hot and we're covered in insect bites but even that hasn't deterred us. We're a bit templed out now though so will just wander around Tokyo looking at nothing in particular I presume, it will be great to get back to the madness that is the capital however.

Tally-ho old chap.

PS - How great is it that both our National teams, Rugby and Football, are now being managed by Dundonians?

PPS - I ken that Wattie was born in Lanark but he's an Arab and a Dundonian as far as I'm concerned, in fact I bet Hadden is an Arab too, in fact I've never been surer.

The first line should read, How great is it that both our National teams, Rugby and Football, are now being managed by Arabs?

We will inherit the world, shed rule.

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Photos

The giant Buddha
of Todaiji Temple, Nara.

Say a little prayer for you....
Fiona lights up some incense. An offering to Buddha at Todaiji Temple, Nara.

the town of Nara
and a nice wee spot it was too.

Thieving gypsy
Doh! A dear! A female dear! As the Simpsons put it. Or was it that Nazi family in that film that's always on at Christmas? Maybe they weren't Nazi's but that Mary Poppins one sang like a Nazi.

Todaiji Temple
Home of the Great Buddha, Nara.

The Great man himself
the Great Buddha of Todaiji, Nara.

Some scary Voodoo thing
outside Todaiji Temple, Nara.

A lesser Buddha
or at least a smaller statue of him. Daibutsuden, Nara.

A great wise warrior of Ancient times.
and an old statue behind him, boom boom!! In Todaiji Temple, Nara.

The gardens of Daibutsuden
Nara.

The first goalposts
at Nigatsu-do Hall, Nara.

An ancient cemetery
at Sangatsu-do Hall, Nara.

A view of Nara
from Nigatsu-do Hall.

The great bell
of kagami-ike, Nara.

The house of the great bell
of Kagami-ike, Nara.

Kofukuji Temple
Nara.