Kyoto, Day 2: Iwatayama Monkey Park and Nara

On our second day in Kyoto, we planned a day trip to Nara after a morning visit to the Iwatayama Monkey Park.

Anyone who knows me knows I can't start my day without some coffee, so that was our first order of business. As luck would have it, the top rated coffee shop in all of Kyoto (% Arabica) just so happens to be located in Arashiyama Park - just across the bridge from the entrance to the monkey park. Their coffee did not disappoint!

After caffeinating, we started to steep climb up the mountain to the monkey park. It's about a 30 minute walk up a series of switchback stairs. Definitely not easy access, but that didn't stop women in heels, geta (Japanese wooden flip-flop/clogs), and other uncomfortable looking footwear from making the trek. I continue to be amazed here at the shoes that people are willing to wear for long distance walking and hiking!

Once we arrived at the top it was hard to decide which was more impressive - the monkeys or the views.

The park is home to between 120 and 170 snow monkeys (also know as Japanese macaque). While they are wild monkeys that live in surrounding forests on Mt Arashiyama, they are clearly very used to a significant human presence because they did not hesitate to walk right past us on the paths through the park.

We spotted this baby near the path and couldn't get enough of him/her - so adorable!

In addition to being able to walk around the park with the monkeys, it is also possible to go inside the feeding house to safely feed the monkeys. For visitors safety, feeding them outside this house is not allowed.

Feeding the baby was definitely our favorite!

How cute is this guy?!

Mom wasn't very nice - any time she was near, she'd steal the food right out of baby's hands!

After we said farewell to the monkey's and took in the view one last time, we started our hike back down the mountain.

On the way down, we spotted this impossibly sleepy guy. He really wanted to open his eyes to keep an eye on us, but he just couldn't manage to keep them open! It was hilarious.

Once back down the mountain, we fought our way through the crowded Arashiyama streets to the train station where we boarded a train for Nara. About 45 minutes from Kyoto, Nara is a good sized city with several well known shrines and temples. Our main purpose for visiting, however, stemmed from a picture Fiona saw of Nara that included many "tame" deer roaming the park. After arriving, she wasted no time befriending the locals.

There were vendors everywhere in the park selling "deer crackers." Our little animal lover was over the moon!

These deer have the game figured out - as soon as Fiona ran out of crackers, this guy quickly figured out who was holding the cracker bag...

...and made a beeline for the goods.

I decided I better give it a try while we were there. Things started out okay, but I had quickly had enough. Even though I had decided I was done, the deer weren't getting the memo. "Shoo" didn't seem to register with them, but then I remembered these were Japanese deer and tried giving them "the X"...also without much luck.

After his bout with Lyme disease, Jason's not so much a fan of deer. This one seemed to sense his hostility and wasn't about to put up with it. Two nips on the bum later and Jason was no more a fan of deer than when we started the day!

Finally Fiona stepped in with some crackers to save her poor daddy.

It was really just an incredibly bizarre experience to see such unafraid deer. Sika deer flourish in Nara (and elsewhere) because they are considered sacred due their significance in ancient Shinto religion and are therefore a protected species.

Still, they aren't born completely unafraid. The babies were really skittish around people and hesitant to approach. Fiona put in a significant time investment winning this little guy over, but she eventually got it done.

Once we ran out of crackers, we fought our way through crowds of people and deer headed toward the nearby Todaiji Temple - one of Japan's most famous temples and a landmark of Nara.

As visitors approach the temple, they first arrive at Nandaimon Gate guarded by two fierce looking statues built to represent Nio Guardian Kings. Both the gate and the statues are designated as national treasures.

After passing through the gate, we arrived at the temple's outer courtyard and gatehouse.

For 500 yen per adults, we were able to enter the main temple area. Todaiji's main hall is known as Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall). Originally constructed in 752, Diabutsuden was twice destroyed by fire. This current structure was rebuilt most recently in 1692. Despite its massive size (187ft x 160ft), it is presently only two thirds the size of the original 752 structure. Even at its now smaller size, the hall remained the world's largest wooden structure until 1998 when it was surpassed by more modern buildings.

Housed inside the hall is this enormous Buddha statue. To give you an idea of just how large it is, there are a number of dimensions listed for it: height - 49ft, face - 17.5ft, eyes - 3.5ft.

The temple is also home to several smaller but still impressive statues:

In the courtyard of Daibutsuden is this wooden statue of Binzuru. According to the legend, when a person rubs a part of the statue and then rubs the corresponding part of his/her own body, ailments will disappear.

Fiona and I gave it a shot - without any luck...

After a long day in the hot, humid, crowded streets, we were mentally and physically exhausted. I had also put everyone on notice that we would be leaving for the next day's adventures no later than 6AM. With this information in mind, we came to a quick consensus that we would skip any further Nara sightseeing and head home for a good night's rest!