Nara was Japan's first permanent capital between 710 and 784 CE. Less than an hour from Kyoto, the train to Nara was very crowded (standing room only) but we made it and got excellent advice from the visitor information centre on which bus to catch and where to get off and on to see the main sites in the park. They also provided a map and marked out a suggested walk for us as well as warning us the deer could be quite insistant on getting their biscuits!
The deer really do bow to you.
A lovely stroll through the forrest brought us to Kasuge Taisha Shrine and its beautiful lanterns.
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The walk then took us past the grassy Wakakusayama Hill, once an imperial palace site. We decided not to try for the summit! It was further than it looks in the photo.
Next we explored the Todaiji Temple grounds which gave a splendid view over the surrounding countryside. The park is simply enormous and it was getting very crowded so we decided we'd petted enough deer and seen enough shrines for the day and made out way back to the bus stop + train to Kyoto.
Some housekeeping (ie laundry) and then an evening stroll to find dinner. We ended up at a Korean BBQ (even in Japan there are not a lot of choices at 8.30 on Sunday night) where we enjoyed boneless wagyu short ribs in plum sayce but the kim chi and pickled vegies were also tasty and zesty!
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