My 1st trip to Japan Honshu

3rd day @ Japan, Nara, Kyoto and Nagoya. Day of temple visits.

This is the best hotel we'd stayed at in Japan. Hyatt Regency Osaka. The only bad thing is, the pillows are damn flat. Once you lie on it, its almost as if there's no pillow. =x

The view from the hotel room early in the morning, like, 5+am in Singapore?

Yet another highway shot on the bus. I was terribly bored. =x

Hospital!!

One of those weird name hotels. Not for tourists to stay tho.

Daiso! That $2 shop in IMM in Singapore ya? Here's the 100\ equivalent in Osaka!

The following two photos and this one are found on the walls surrounding a school while we were on our way to one of the oldest temples in Japan.

Reminds me of those Shinto shrines' priests.

The words literally means "The Great Bhudda of Nara"

Primary School! (You can say that I'm very shutter/trigger happy with the camera. =x)

Deers!! Deers!! This is the famous Nara deer park+temple.

Endless photos of deers. Of deers and me later. =p Muahaha.

Ooohhh, they don't stink at all. =p

Me and deer photo 1

Me and yet another deer =p

Deer walks away!!

Imagine how happy I was at this place. Clicking away at every sighting of deer. =x Ok not every deer. =x

Japanese believe deers are Bhudda's messengers. So deers here are treated very well.

Taken with my handphone

Taken with my handphone again! And this particular deer knocked me in my butt. Muahaa.

Just says the Meiji Emperor was here, at the old south-east side of the temple.

This is the Todaiji temple located in the middle of the deer park.

One of the many stone engravings I have no idea what it means. =x

Typical icon of a Shinto shrine

A better shot of Todaiji. Apparently the two golden horn like thingy at the roof represents the horns of the deers.

On the day of our visit, many school children came too. Some heritage visit I heard.

Ok, the following photos are mostly on statues or miniature replicas of Todaiji. I wouldn't add caption when I dunno what to write.

A very very big statue of Bhudda.

.....About some lotus?

Ah, the lotus.

Another statue

.....

This tile cost 1000, which the donor will write something and the donation is towards the rebuilding of Todaiji.

A picture of Todaiji from the past.

Dunno what it means. =x

On our way out from Todaiji

The next four photos together with this are taken using my handphone. This is at the kimono place somewhere in Kyoto. Was there for lunch, some shopping and kimono show.

What a big ribbon!!!

Ooops. My phone camera can't take photos well in too brightly-lit places.

Ooh I love the kimono. One of the better looking kimonos at the show.

At the end of the show, all the models come out for the last time. Those who wear kimonos with longer sleeves mean they're single.

2nd temple visit of the day: Kinkakuji at Kyoto, the old capital of Japan.

I realise there's alot of wooden/stone plaques at places of interest in Japan.

Similar to the 5 laws in Bhuddism. Somewhat like the Ten Commandments(sp) in Christianity too.

Bronze bell

Ahh, I think this means Sutra of No Words? But I see many words leh. =x

Feel the serenity?

I like the ancient architecture of Japan. Very interesting.

Some altar I think.

I have no idea where the water came from tho.

I was very trigger happy again here so all the following photos are of places/things/words.

Oohh mini mini natural waterfall.

Interesting stone statues of Bhudda.

Mm.

I was thinking, did the Japanese know about Madam White Snake?

As we all can see from the photos, the main religion in Japan are Shintoism and Bhuddism, so almost all statues or related statues will have Bhudda.

No idea what this means. =x

No idea what this is too. But I like the interior of older Japanese houses too.

Wahaha. Took this photo coz of the words. But dunno what they mean too.

An interesting thing about this Kinkakuji is, you can't walk back to the beginning of the trail. So this is at the end of the trail. Another shrine/house.

A close up of the previous shrine/house.

See that cute Hello kitty/My Melody thing??!! Darn the English equivalent has already happily slipped away from my mind.

Wahaha. Another meaningless photo.

On our way to the 3rd temple visit of the day. Along Kyoto/Nagoya there's quite some castles.

I became quite Hello Kitty crazy during this trip. Wahaha. I still lack the Hello Kitty figurine that's limited to Kyoto, Nara and Mt Fuji. =p

A long walk from the carpark to the Kyomizu Temple.

Kyomizuji (Clear Water Temple)

The temple is under renovation, but the main feature of this photo should be these two stone thingy. =p

A monk from the past was said to be able to carry this super heavy iron rod and go around carrying out his duties, or something like that. But now no one can even lift this thing. Believe it or not. I saw it myself. No one lifted this thing no matter how they tried.

Kyomizuji

Mm. Rare shot I took using flash. Coz I couldn't see anything inside the main hall of the temple but there was actually a statue of 观世音菩萨.

View of the temple from another angle.

Why is it call Clear Water Temple? Because there's endless supply of clear/cold water from dunno where, and one have to use the container attached to a long rod (provided by the temple) to catch the water. Probably the best fountain/mineral/plain water I'd tasted.