We took a day trip from Osaka on the train to visit Nara, a nice little peaceful city of 300 odd thousand people and famous for its series of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and an old imperial palace. Nara is also where hords of tame deer roam the city, the deer are regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, and roam the streets and parks freely. Whilst they didn't give me any messages, the presence of these creatures seemed to increase the calming impact of wandering around this very green city - I guess they stop people driving too fast too! We started off at the main attraction of Nara, the Tōdai-ji or Eastern Great Temple, a Buddhist temple complex containing the Great Buddha Hall, which is the largest all-wooden building in the
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