Day 5: Nara, Fushimi Inari

We started Day 5 by heading to the city of Nara which is about 45 minutes away by train. The town is well know for its wild deer population that is fairly tame. It's also the old capitol of Japan. Vendors sell deer cookies that you can feed the deer, and they aren't shy about trying to pick your pockets for more cookies. Some of the deer will bow for you but only if you have a cookie. No cookie, no bow!!

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was Isui-en gardens which was built in the 1600s. 

 

 

 

Our second stop was Todai-ji temple which was huge and breathtaking and includes a massive Buddha statue. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to try our luck with some train sushi by the station and did indeed get lucky. If you're unfamiliar with train sushi, the chefs prepare small portions of nigiri, sushi, and sashimi, and place it on different colored plates. The plate colors determine the price. You can grab plates off the train as it comes around, and then they'll add up the total price. This restaurant actually had a scanner that could scan the plate colors automatically. 

We had to rush Nara, but it seems like there is a lot to do there. We hurried back to Kyoto so we could see the famous Fushimi Inari shrine. Built in 711, it contains over 10,000 torii gates, creating several tunnels for visitors to walk through as you wind your way up a mountain. The path up the mountain is very long, and as far as I can tell there isn't much up there. We made it as far as seeing the lake and the city view. The shrine is also famous for the many fox statues all around. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also found a bamboo forest to hike in on a side trail. 

 

After the shrine there are a ton of food stalls and shops. We had amazing custard filled mochi!!! This is one of the best desserts I've ever had. 

 

We took the train back to Kyoto station. We were about to leave, when we discovered a 10 floor mall. Kyoto station is so large there is a 10 floor mall and a grocery store and probably a million other things we haven't seen. We took the escalators to the top where you can walk on the roof and see a view of the city. 

 

 

Another great day in Japan. Still we have many things to see before we leave on Wednesday.