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Published: November 26th 2014
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The day after the wedding Jason and Kanoko had planned to entertain the family contingent with some Japanese culture. It also happened to be Greg's birthday.
After a leisurely start the ten of us headed to the JR station and it immediately become clear that keeping this group together was going to be a challenge. Toilet stops, lost tickets, slow walkers, fast walkers and indecision added to the fun. However we made progress and spent a fun day together.
Our first destination was the world heritage Horyuji temple complex. This included multiple structures and an impressive pagoda. After an hour of wandering the grounds we met up with a view of finding a lunch spot at the second location. Unfortunately Ali (mother of the groom) was paying the price of a day in high heels for the wedding and was in a lot of pain when she walked.
As we came out of the next railway station Jason dashed off and borrowed a wheelchair from a nearby medical centre. He also acquired a map of all wheelchair access points for the next temple complex, which was at least a kilometer away. Luckily there were pleanty of willing hands
to push the wheelchair, although sometimes we wondered if Ali would get tipped out by the enthusiastic pushers.
We found a spot for lunch and when we emerged the day had totally changed from sunny to overcast.
The crowds were very thick and at times our group got spread out but we always managed to regroup, often with the help of the bright yellow beanie worn by George.
As we neared the temple we began to see deer wandering through the crowds. These wild deer had become very accustomed to people and were on the lookout for tasty snacks. Signs warned that the deer were not always well behaved. We saw a 4 year old girl being chased round and round her mother by a deer that wanted the piece of sweet potatoe she held in her hand. The girl was understandably upset.
The crowds got thicker and thicker as we approached the Todai-ji temple, then it came into view and we could see why. This Budhist temple is the largest wooden structure in the world and contains huge bronze statues. In the last 500 years this temple has been reconstructed twice after being burnt down.
As we departed at about 4:30 we were amazed by the crowds still streaming toward the complex.
We made our way home, dropping off the wheelchair on the way. Everybody was exhausted from the excitement of the wedding and all the walking we had done. A number of people fell asleep on the train.
Back at the hotel we said our farewells as the group would now be heading in different directions.
Spotting a specialist desert/cake store prompted us to select a delicacy that would serve as a birthday cake for Greg. Candles were even provided for free, however this meant that we now had to purchase some sort of lighter.
Our celebratory dinner for two featured lots of shasimi and of course beer. Back in our room with candles lit happy birthday was sung and the delicious birthday cake eaten.
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Angela Reimann
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Lovely newlyweds!
Kanoko and Jason look so happy.