I had no big plans for Kobe at first. As interesting as a new country is, sometimes you really just want to take advantage of a non-IPM day to rest, especially since I had a really long couple of days prior to this (Disneyland was amazing, but it took a lot of energy!). But since I was in Japan, I did feel as if I should do something that was actually well…unique to Japan. The thing is, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. While I’m totally comfortable navigating my way to a theme park alone, my confidence evaporates when I attempt any other kind of solo trip in a foreign country. I suppose I get easily lost, or fear getting easily lost.
Fortunately one of my fellow team members came to my rescue with a last minute invitation to visit Nara Temple, which proved to be the perfect solution to my dilemma.
Nara Temple is not just a temple of course, it’s a city. It was originally Japan’s first permanent capital. The Temple though remains the main reason d’etre of the town. This was my first real exposure to Japan (the whirlwind trip through Tokyo on the way to the park doesn’t count) and I have to say I was amazed. The people are lovely and approachable even though there’s always a language barrier, and the town itself was so interesting. The narrow streets are lined with all sorts of bizarre shops, including one that sold all flavours of honey, which they then mixed with water and turned into drinks that should have been too sweet but somehow weren’t. Mine was Japanese Lemon, but it tasted like Christmas oranges. Also, it’s a remarkably trusting society, dozens of bikes line the streets but –even right outside the train station – not one of them is locked. People just put their kick-stands down and walk away, with no concern at all as to whether or not their property will still be there when they return.
The Temple itself is almost a city within a city: a massive spread of structures that takes up several city blocks, and requires a lot of climbing of stairs to get to. While the first few structures at the entranceway to the grounds are impressive, nothing – not even the five-tiered pagoda that towers over the whole area – is more impressive than the main temple itself. Apparently the oldest wooden structure not just in Japan, but in the world, it rears up from a perpetual cloud of incense and wish papers, serenely dominating the crowded grounds.
To get to the temple proper you have to make your way down a long causeway, along which you have fend off a lot of deer. The animals roam the grounds of Nara so freely that there seem at times to be more of them than there are people (and that’s saying something). While still considered wild creatures, they are so tame that they will eat right out of your hand. For about a dollar you can purchase a packet of rice crackers to feed them. Some of them though don’t look too healthy, and I found myself thinking of the problem of urban deer – with no natural predators and not enough food it can’t be good for them in the long run. I can’t help but wonder how they got to the area, and what happened to the predator/prey balance that would once have kept them in check. Another victim of civilization I suspect.
In the spirit of respect, I lit a stick of incense before entering the temple, and a candle once inside, and then I stood and stared up at the closed eyes of Buddha. Once again I am reminded that of all the religious buildings I visit in my travels, the only ones I ever feel truly at ease in are Buddhist temples. There is no judgement in that gaze, no condemnation, there seems to only ever be a kind of serenity which I can only appreciate the fringes of. I know nothing about the faith itself, but I still appreciate the way its symbols make me feel.
Aside from the central shrine, there are several related figures nearby, and one interesting area that at first none of us really understood. To someone as uneducated as myself, it looked only like an un-carved large pole, something like what I imagine a totem would look like before the carver set to work. But it obviously held a great deal of significance because there were many families lined up to go through what was obviously a ritual. The pole had a small tunnel carved through the bottom, and the child would be put into this tunnel and emerge from the other side. I haven’t yet looked up the significance of the ritual, but I can only assume it was some kind of blessing.
As with so many things it’s difficult to describe the experience of the temple in words. It’s not something you think about, it’s something you feel. And feelings can be difficult to place into words sometimes. I can’t help comparing it to the opening of the Fantastiks
Try to see it, not with your eyes for they are wise.
Despite the crowds, of which there are many, it’s clear that this is still a scared space. Still capable of dispensing as much goodness into the world as it was before anyone was given permission to enter its grounds. I still believe it does the soul good to visit such places.
By the time we made our weary way home from our explorations, sipping our honey drinks and munching on flavoured rice cakes, we all agreed it was a day well spent. Exhausting, but well spent.
For me though, I think this may be my last big excursion into Japan, much as I’m impressed by it, it is an expensive country, and I’ve been awfully tired lately, I think I may be better off saving some energy for the rest of the trip…