Kasuga Shrine

Note the moss infested roof.

Kasuga Shrine (inside Nara Deer Park, Kyoto)

We were here on 1st July 2007 (Sunday)

Kasuga Shrine, the most famous and beautiful Shinto shrine in Nara, it features some 3,000 antique stone and bronze lanterns.
Nestled in the midst of verdant woods, Kasuga Shrine is approached via a long pathway intended to give the visitor time to prepare for worship. The natural setting is a purposeful part of the sacred site, since Shinto is rooted in nature. The main entrance to the shrine is through the Minamimon (South Gate) and past the Temizuya aka Stag Fountain (water fountain and basin), where it is customary to wash your hands.
The shrine itself features vermilion-colored pillars and an astounding 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns. They were donated over the years by common people as tokens of faith and thankfulness, and used to be lit every night. Now they are only lit a few days each year.

Todaiji Temple

Dejavu for Raihanah of this place.

A man trying to squeeze himself through the pillar.

The octagonal Lantern

Todaiji Temple (inside Nara Deer Park, Kyoto)

We were here on 1st July 2007 (Sunday)
Todaiji Temple, constructed in the 8th century, is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples. In it's huge precincts (57m in width and 50m in depth) are various national treasures of Japan. The Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) is one of the world's largest wooden buildings. One of Japan's best-known temples, it enshrines a gigantic bronze statue of Buddha (15m). A wonder of a religious architecture.

As you walk around the hall, don't be shocked to see people attempting to squeeze through a hole in one of the rear support pillars. The Japanese believe that if one is successful in squeezing through, they are guaranteed a place in Heaven.

As you leave the Daibutsuden, take a minute to look at the Octagonal Lantern at the bottom of the steps. It is one of the oldest treasures in the temple dating from the founding of Todaiji. The lantern is supported by a post inscribed with an excerpt from a Buddhist text discussing the merits of lighting lanterns.

Nara Deer Park, Nara, Kyoto

Nara Deer Park

We were here on 1st July 2007 (Sunday)

On the spacious lawns, over 1,000 tame deer roam freely in the verdant 1,250 acres peaceful park. Considered messengers of the gods in Shinto. If you wish to feed the deer, they will gladly eat from your hand. Special food is sold in the park grounds .
Inside the park are located Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga-Taisha Shrine

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji Temple a.k.a. Golden Temple in Kyoto

We were here on 1st July 2007 (Sunday)

The "Golden Temple" is one of Kyoto's best-known attractions, and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1994.

After passing through the entrance gate, you walk past a high bamboo fence lining the walkway, and then suddenly you see this magnificent building, the Golden Temple (or Pavilion as it is sometimes known). Surrounded by a lake its reflection shimmers in the clear water and as you walk around the lakeside paths you see the temple from different angles. Such a spectacular sight!

Kinkakuji was originally built in 1397 as a villa for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), third Ashikaga Shogun. Eleven years after Yoshimitsu's death, the villa was converted into a Zen temple and for centuries it was a place of worship, known as the Rokuonji. However, on 2nd July 1950, a 21 year-old slightly mad temple priest set fire to the Kinkaku-ji. The temple was burned to the ground, and the young man arrested. He confessed that he wanted to die in the flames.
In 1955, an exact replica was erected, so what you see today is not the original one and further restoration was done in the 1990's extending the gold-foil covering to the lower floors as well and it is tryly magnificent.