Cherry Blossoms in Nara

Cherry Blossoms in Nara - Japan 2006

Today we were off to Nara, the old capital of Japan.

Despite being a separate city to Osaka our train was the equivalent of a suburban route.

Nara was gorgeous. We walked around the numerous temples and shrines and through Nara-koen (park), finishing up at the world's biggest wooden building in the Todaji temple complex. It houses giant buddha and kannon statues. As soon as we purchased some of the special biscuits from a vendor we were set upon by the deer that live around the temples and parks. The tried to eat my pants, B's coat and even the map of Nara!

We ended our tour of Nara wandering through the old houses of the Naramachi district before catching a train back to Osaka.

The real highlight of Nara were not the temples, wildlife or old buildings. It was the cherry blossoms. I now understand why the Japanese worship them so. They are graceful and delicate, a snow of petals falling to the ground. Beautiful.

Back in Osaka, we left the train at Osaka Station to explore the Kita district. I discovered a Yodobashi Camera store and couldn't help but start admiring the computers again. B purchased a pair of glasses in the adjacent Comme Ca store. Neither of us could believe that they could make up the lenses in an hour, based upon measurements from her existing pair.

While the glasses were being made we walked to the Umeda Sky Building. Underground the adjacent complex is a reconstruction of old Japanese streets and eateries. Had the most delicious yakisoba and okonomiyaki ever. The chef, who was cooking it in front of us, was very friendly and gave us our pair of metal scrapers as souveniers.

We then crossed to the tower proper and caught the glass elevator and glass enclosed escalator up to the Sky Garden Observatory.Beautiful view of Osaka at night, just a pity we didn't have time to admire it. Finally collected the glasses and returned back to the hotel after a wonderful day.

Comments

IKEA Museum

We have a packed itinerary today. Flat packed and assembled with an Allen key. There are patches of snow on the ground that weren't there the previous evening. We are a bit sad to leave the Duxiana after the comfy beds and the breakfast of cold cuts, fruits and hot waffles. I tried the Swedish caviar on my boiled egg. It was... Interesting. I was very disappointed to realise that, after talking it up for months, I had forgotten the Disgusting Foods Museum in Malmö yesterday. Too late now. We catch another Oresundstag train, for a bit over an hour. Past yesterday's Lund, past increasingly white fields and towns to Älmhult, home of IKEA. The conductor warns us that the train will split in two so we have to move carriages forward. Unfortunately, there we no spare sets of chairs for all of us. The IKEA Museum showcases the history of the furniture company, along with temporary exhibitions. One of these was "Hacking IKEA," about using IKEA ob...

Asagaya and heading home

How can I be happy? I am about to return to a country where the toilets have at most two buttons and no seat warmers. But the tickets are booked and there are no cyclones, typhoons or other disasters standing in our way. It's almost time to go back to my first home. First B wants to do some "local shopping". So we catch the Chuo Line up a few stations to Asagaya, a residential area with a number of Shotengai, covered and uncovered arcades leading away from the station and narrow alleys lined with bars. It is an interesting area for a wander around. We are mainly looking, do some shopping for toothbrushes and sweets from Seiyu, a Wal-Mart owned supermarket/minor department store. We skipped breakfast and lunch is ramen and gyoza at a small restaurant near the entrance to the Pearl Centre shotengai. With the help of a staff member, I manage to purchase tickets at a branch of Lawson to the Ghibli Museum for a friend travelling to Japan in May. There are some...

One night in Canberra

It's the April school holidays and we are too busy to have a break but need one because of that. And because it's the Easter weekend the options are limited, so we just drive down to Canberra for the night. No, this isn't our first trip for 2023. I wrote about Japan on another site . I refuse to wake up early so we depart after 8.30 AM. There is not much to say about the drive except that the clouds seem so low and Lake George is very full. We stop at a rest area and at the lookout up the hill to take it all in. Everyone is hungry so we first stop in Dickson and then can't think of anything to eat, so I drive us to Civic, where we can't decide and end up eating at the Singaporean Killiney Kopitiam branch. The Canberra Centre has nice shops. I dream of getting an iPad from the Apple Store, we buy a blanket and toothbrushes from Muji and wish that Lego wasn't so expensive. Nothing we can't get in Sydney, but then we rarely go out shopping in the city. It...

travelling allrite

Search This Blog