We left Osaka today for Nara, to visit the park,  the amazing deer,  and the Temple.   it is the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan with a large bronze Buddha inside.   We entered first thru this large gate

We had scheduled an E-bike trip,  but it might have been optimistic of is to try it.   we actually didn’t make the full tour and missed the shrine at the top of the hill,  as we were just to exhausted to continue.  However it was an amazing place. 

  The deer are wild and go back up the mountain in the even,  appearing again about 6 AM each morning.   However,  they have learned to now to receive a cracker!  Very entertaining!  There are about 2000 of them!

The temple contains the largest Buddha inside a building in Japan.   it isn’t the largest overall, but the largest found inside a temple.

At the exit we were able to get another goshuin, the signature stamps and calligraphy for this shrine associated with the temple. Emmett was able to video the process.

With the Sakura 🌸 Cherry blossoms in full bloom, the park was absolutely beautiful!

There are blossoms everywhere right now, from 3 varieties of Cherry trees,  some more pink than others.

The tour included a stop at a knife maker,  a700 year old business.   They have us a small sweet cake with a cream filling shaped like a deer.  

Our hotel is an Onsen, with a natural spring so we were able to soak,  relax,  and refresh after our tour!  We then found a very Japanese style restaurant for dinner. 

Our dinner restaurant had the tables separate in tatami-like room,  with awell under the table for our legs.   We didn’t need to sit crossed legged,  thank goodness.  We ordered several tempura dishes,  edemame, and a rice dish all to share.

The day was long,  the bike ride was tough,  and we were all beat!  Thankfully tomorrow is a quiet day,  just a train ride as we move on to Kyoto!