Samurai, Sakura, Sushi: Japan 2013 (Part 3: Nara and Osaka)

- April 2 to 4, 2013, Tuesday to Thursday.

- Our last temple visit in Japan was a special temple. The Todaiji (or Todai Temple,) located in the Nara prefecture right beside Osaka, houses the Daibutsu and free-roaming deer. The Daibutsu is around 14 meters tall, and that's just the height of the seated statue; if the statue were to "stand up," the Buddha's height would increase. Sika deer are allowed to freely prance around the temple compound, because the Shinto religion believes that these deer are messengers of the gods. (How Buddhism and Shinto can live side by side is a long story. I can explain it, but rather not, and just remember that Buddhism is a tolerant and flexible religion and way of life. This is the simplest way I can explain it.) The temple was built in 728AD, in Nara City, the capital of Nara prefecture, when Nara was still the capital of Japan. Todaiji is also one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.

- At the gate, people are be welcomed by the guards Ungyo and Agyo, collectively known as "Nio."

Todaiji.

Ungyo.

Agyo.

Wooden temple.

Pagoda.

- The Daibutsu was located in the middle of two smaller, but giant nonetheless, golden Kannon statues. Two divine guards also stand behind the Daibutsu.

Daibutsu.

It's really large.

Candid shot that turned out well.

Kannon.

See how big it is????

One of the two Kannons, and the Daibutsu.

Awesome artist!! 

- After going around the temple, I had the chance to buy some deer cookies and feed the deer. The deer are tame, but they are smart enough to know when people are going to buy some cookies to feed them. The deer will follow the people to the stalls, and wait for the people to feed them. When the deer get rather impatient, they bite. In my case, I got bitten several times in the butt. Around twenty deer were behind me, waiting for me to feed them. Since the season was still in transition from winter to spring, the deer's hair were not too pretty, because deer's hair and antlers change with the season too.

Hello friend!!

Beware!!

The deer at the right is blind.

The deer stares directly.

After feeding the deer and having my butt bitten.

The deer went inside the store. Haha.

- We passed by the Osaka castle on the way back to the hotel, and I am still wondering why it wasn't included in our itinerary in the first place; I would have wanted to see it up close. (Still, I was fortunate to see it, even from a far.) We had lunch in our hotel, where Egyptian food was served. Our hotel was host to a Japan-Egyptian event, not sure what it is, so Egyptian stuff were exhibited and sold. The three chefs for that day flew in from Egypt, and made really delicious Egyptian food, some of them with a twist.

Osaka Castle from afar.

A kimono designed by a Japanese artist that shows Egyptian colors and  themes.

- The afternoon was spent in the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade in Osaka, a long street home to big brands and unique boutiques. We also passed by Dotonbori area, where the famous Glico Man, and the Kuidaore Taro can be found. The running Glico Man is a giant billboard by the candy company named Glico, and has been in that same spot since 1935, making it a pop culture icon of Japan for decades. The Kuidaore Taro is a mechanical drummer, and the official mascot of the restaurant Cui-daore. Souvenirs being images/figures of both the Glico Man and the Kuidaore Taro can be found all over Osaka.

Another Hello Kitty store.

Glico's running man.

Giant moving crab.

Kuidaore Taro.

A weird gem I found in Daimaru (it's a sailor outfit for women, made for men.)

A more colorful Osaka manhole.

- Our final full day in Japan ended with a blast in the Universal Studios Japan (USJ.) USJ was made in 2001, and I can remember watching the news back then about USJ's grand opening. It is smaller than Disney Sea, but the buildings and sets were picture worthy. Some photo stops required admission fees, such as Spiderman or Jaws, but with perfect the timing and angle, good photos can be shot beyond the long cue. (It saved a lot of time and money in my case. Haha.) The main parade was only done at night, since a lot of lights were used, I heard, so I wasn' able to see that. Instead, the "second best" parade done twice during the afternoons was the "Rainbow Circus." The Rainbow Circus shows mascots and daredevils doing stunts, like being shot out of a canon. It wasn't as marvelous and grand as the show we saw in Disney Sea, but it was entertaining nonetheless. We had dinner in the Hotel Universal Port, one of USJ's hotels located right across USJ.

Tada!!

Woody Woodpecker!!

Storm Trooper!!

It was an "international" show.

Probably the best Hello Kitty show I've seen.

African Hello Kitty.

Japanese Hello Kitty.

Old America.

(Real) Japanese school girls.

Hellp Pink Panther!!!!

Rainbow Circus.

Elmo!!

Brave man.

Boom!!

Awesome water drawing.

Would have wanted to buy this and Elmo, if only I knew how I could use them, and if they were not too expensive.

Jurassic Park!!

Jaws!!

Berry Lassi in Pink Cafe (a Baskin Robbins cafe.)

My idol!! :D:D:D:D

Not sure who did this though.

Universal at sunset.

Playing around with my jinbei in the hotel on the last night in Japan.

- The last morning was very fast-paced, so we could catch our eary 9:55am flight back to Manila. Most of us had less sleep, or were still too tired from USJ, but at least we could rest inside the airplane. Although I still have my allergy-cold combo, and my head is a bit tired since my mom and sister used me as their translator for the past 8 days, I feel very fortunate to have finally visited Japan. I still want to go back, as with most places I've gone to, and explore more. Maybe next time, I'd get to see the Osaka castle, and a lot more of Japan's serene-looking temples, and the contrasting loud and hyper-colorful pop culture.

Last look at Osaka.

Hello Philippines!!