japan part 5 – trip to nara
hello there.
this is the final entry in our 5-part photo essay about the doe girls’ spring break trip to japan. we saved the best for last!
below are images from our day excursion to the temple town of nara.
from kyoto, nara is about 45 minutes away by train. nara was the capital of japan from 710-784, and deer were considered the ancient city’s protectors.
this year would be the 1300th anniversary of nara as the capital city. we saw this buddah with deer horns everywhere on commemorative posters and all sorts of adorable merchandise:
evidence of the city’s love of deer is everywhere…
best part of visiting nara?
tame deer!
street vendors sell deer biscuits to visitors:
of course, every tourist shop in nara was dedicated to the city’s animal protector…
thanks for following along on our adventures. til next time!
xo,
ktk & the doe girls
p.s. we’ve got new goods! if you share our love of all things japanese, you’ll adore the decole and other japanese housewares just added to the shop.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:15 am
What an excellent trip you all had! I love the St. Kilda necklace! Let me know if I win!!
Angela
May 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
My wife needs that necklace – her birthday is next week.
Please me! Please me!
PA
PS: Love the blog.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:32 am
coming from oregon it’s odd to think of deer that aren’t terrified of humans.
it’s cool that nara considers the deer their protectors. deer look so delicate but when you think about the hardship that they withstand to raise their young they’re really incredible, strong creatures, and beautiful, too. it’s like nara understands deer power/ the deer totem.
btw, the picture of the grate is wonderful art. i’d spend a lot of time looking at the ground in nara to see if there are different grates so i could enjoy different pictures.
thanks for sharing your japan experiences. do you think the trip has influenced your aesthetic?
May 13th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I love all of doe’s travel blogs even to Half Moon Bay! Because of you guys’ most recent trip to Japan I am planning an excursion over there with my husband and two children. But, tell me how did you get around to so many places without speaking Japanese? Or did you speak Japanese? What travel guide book did you use for your trip? Pls let me know
Thanks.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:54 am
I love these photos! Your blogs have bumped Japan from my List of Places It’d Be Neat to Visit Someday to my List of Places I Need to Buy Plane Tickets to, Like, Immediately. Just beautiful. Glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I’m always so psyched to read about your adventures!
I hope all is well! I miss you beautiful ladies!
May 13th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
cool japan trip blog! it’s nice to read about people’s actual experiences (like yours) rather than the generic online travel brochures…thanks for sharing.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I’ve so enjoyed reading about your family’s travels! Thank you for sharing such beautiful photos. Japan is on my list now.
May 20th, 2010 at 11:41 am
hello pamela – thanks for the comment! the only one of us who speaks any japanese is my 2nd grader. she attends bicultural/bilingual japanese public school. part of the reason for this trip is that we’re moving away next year, and my daughter was very sad to leave her school. i promised her we’d visit japan as a consolation prize! we didn’t use a guide book at all – just planned it all out online. we knew we had to see two things in particular: toy stores and tame deer, so we planned around both!