OMG--T O K Y O

Tokyo was breath-takingly beautiful tonight at sunset.

Police "Cube"

The angel and the figure on the ladder went up and down.

Two Japanese gentlemen asked if they could take our picture (with our camera). They said they were retired and asked if we were. We are eating at Andy's Shin Hinomato Restaurant. Thanks Peter and Monica; we are going back tomorrow.

Kyoto Retrospective

Wonderful, surprising things about Kyoto

Cabs have immaculate white lace seat covers. The driver and steering wheel are on the right side of the car!

The view from Starbucks is a Shinto Shrine

Our hotel had a chapel in the lobby. This is not a model. There were two weddings held inside while we were there.

Menu choices are re-created in plastic

Bamboo forests are beautiful 

Shrine doors with glass reflect the visitors

Japanese gardens are beautiful

Fushimi Inari Shrine is visually arresting with its thousands of vermillion torii gates. It is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. 

Fushimi Inari fox statue

Young women wear boots, short skirts/shorts and anything in-between

McDonalds had an "Idaho Burger"

Every year on March 3rd, Japan celebrates the Doll Festival (Japanese, Hina Matsuri). On this day every year, families set up a special step-altar on which to arrange their Emperor and Empress dolls, called "hina" in Japanese. They decorate this altar with boughs of peach blossoms and make offerings to the hina dolls of freshly made rice cakes (mochi), either flavored with a wild herb or colored and cut into festive diamond shapes

Obento box on the Shinkansen ("bullet") train. Thanks Masa for  the recommendation; the box (contents) was wonderfully delicious

The Monterey Kyoto Hotel clock. Time 9:44

Cabs have interesting logos on their roofs. "MK" in a heart was my favorite

Yummy! The green flavor (not shown) is "Green Tea"

C

Three Faces and Six Arms--An Ashura

An Ashura

Since its construction in 710, the Main Hall, or Chukondo, of Nara's Kohfukuji Temple has burned down and been rebuilt seven times. Miraculously, a number of priceless Buddhist sculptures were rescued each time and survive today. To celebrate its 1300th anniversary next year.

The centerpiece of the exhibition -- and its relentlessly hyped image -- is the three-headed, six-armed statue of an Ashura, one of the "Eight Classes" (Hachi Bushu) of Buddhist guardian deities. 

Touted as one of Japan's best known and most beloved Buddhist sculptures (there is even an Ashura Fan Club counting various celebrities among its members), the Ashura dates back to 734. 

An Ashura's two side-faces typically display anger while the front face reveals a more complex expression of hubris and suffering. In a nutshell, Ashura may be the most human of Buddhist deities, which could explain the adulation this statue inspires.

The other seven classes of deities are also represented as well as other sculptures and figures. Each one is a National Treasure and the collection is amazing.

Photographs were not allowed; I bought a post-card and photographed it.

The Daibutsu-den at Todai-ji, Nara, Japan

This building, the Daibutsu-den, is reputed to be the largest wooden building in the world. In the picture below, Irene is standing in front of one of the 60 huge wooden columns that support the roof.

One of the lanterns that light the front of the building

The face of the massive, who calls the Daibutsu-den "home."

A gold etching in a huge "petal" that once was by the bhudda's feet.

Some sidekicks of the bhudda.

A decoration to provide alitte color.

Above and the next two photographs show statues of ancient disciples of Bhudda.

In Irene's blog, she showed a picture of one of the Nara deer; there were hundreds.

I wonder if this sign would have a place in Jackson Hole.

Deer Me

Moe and I took a side trip to Nara by train, about one hour away. At the Information Center we had a wonderful chat with a "Trainee". He was learning how to guide tours, but was proficient in English, having lived in Baltimore, MD, a few years back. He guided us to Nara's main attraction, the huge temple complex of Tõdai-Ji.

 

On the way to the temple, you pass through the Nandai-mon gate which is guarded by two fierce, huge Niō guardians. They are wooden carvings from the 13th century, recently restored and behind wire.

One of the Niō Guardians

Guardians of a different kind are the Nara deer (size of white-tailed deer), challenging every visitor. They want the food in your hand or backpack and the paper in your pocket! Moe was accosted by a paper-eating one.

The stand-off

Daibutsu-den

The temple Daibutsu-den could be the largest wooden structure in the world. It is hard to show the immensity of this building. The little white dots on the steps leading up to the door are people!

 Inside is the great Buddha. The bronze figure is 50 feet tall and has 437 tons of bronze.

Legend has it that if you can slip thru the hole in the base of the column (the size of the opening in Buddha's nostril) next to the statue of Tamon-ten, you are assured of enlightenment. Watching adults (bottom left) try to squeeze thru caused a lot of laughter; Tamon-ten looks down like he's seen it all before.

A Few Details at Nanzen-ji Buddhist Shrine

When I am photographing, I almost always find myself searching for interesting details. At Nanzen-ji the quality of the wood used in building the shrine is truly ppectacular. The first two photographs show the grain patterns in large round columns that provide the main support for the structure.  Do you see the faces of small animals captured for eternity in the columns?  The third shows one of the finials that mark the corners of a high deck, and the fourth depicts a simply elegant bell-shaped window.