Enlightenment, don't know what it is...

It took us three trains to get to our next destination- Nara. Those of you who have been to Japan or who are tracking our movements on a map will be thinking what the heck are these people doing weaving up & down the country like this - it's crazy!  Well the answer is ‘golden week’. Starting at the end of April for one week, most of the good people of Japan go on holiday, so anyone thinking of visiting Japan during this week needs to book accommodation far in advance – something you will know by now that we haven't been very good at. The result is we are having to zig-zag across the country to get accommodation at the places we want to visit. 
Nara was on our list of ‘must see’ places because it has a giant Buddha -  who doesn't want to see that! To illustrate just how big it is the guidebook tells us that the nostrils are 50cm wide. It's facts like this that draw me in or maybe I'm just a sucker for a big nostril! In any event I'm very pleased we visited Nara. It's not just about the Buddha which is impressive, as is the building it is sited in – purportedly one of the biggest wooden structures in Japan, but the entrance to the temple is stunning & the huge park land & hills that surround the temple are a real draw for locals & visitors alike.

Inside the Buddha temple,  in one of the supporting wooden clad beams,  there is a gap the size of Buddha’s nostril, where it's said that those who crawl through it will be assured enlightenment.  Unsurprisingly,  there was long queue of families waiting for their children to crawl through the hole. Not everyone was keen though & we watched as a small girl  & her baby brother, were pushed through both crying hysterically. Then a large boy about 11, who tried v hard to get through but got stuck halfway & had to be pulled out.  I'm not sure about enlightenment - it's more likely they will all suffer some sort of trauma after those experiences.

We visited many of the temples and pagoda’s dotted around the park, escorted much of the time by several of 1200 deer that roam freely & who will be your best friend for a deer biscuit.  We didn't have any so our friendship with them was short lived. As if we hadn't done enough walking we decided to scale Wakakusayama hill, at times a pretty steep ascent but with great views of the city to enjoy when we reached the top, as we tucked into our picnic, sitting in the hot, bright sunshine.  Back in the town Mr L decided it was time for a haircut & the result was impressive. Then we discovered the local Catholic Church was just across from our hostel so popped in & were surprised to find that the design was very similar to the church where we were got married, with some lovely stained glass windows. A few words said for family & friends then a stroll around town before finding somewhere to eat. The place we chose had great reviews although one said it looked like it had been frozen in time whilst another said it looked like the pots &  pans hadn't been washed for thirty years. They were both right - this place certainly wasn’t selling itself but the owner was friendly & food was good (& cheap)!

The following morning we went for a last stroll around before getting back on the train. As we headed out we passed three separate groups of protestors walking behind each other along the road, under police escort. It wasn't clear what they were protesting about but we saw banners that said ‘no’ &  ‘stop’ which for some reason reminded me of an episode of Father Ted. One group was followed by a vehicle with v tinny sounding speakers playing ‘we shall overcome’. It was all very ordered & civilised & not a riot shield or water canon in sight.