YFU TRIP: Nara
I think I was the one who brought the mom family with me, my host dad, host mom and little host brother. Everyone else either had their mom, dad, a host sibling and I know of one kid who even came alone. Everyone actually looked a little weathered, or maybe it was the really crappy weather that day, but people did look a little tired. (And I thought, I wasn't going to be the brightest, sunniest person that day) I actually meet up with Yamamoto-san, who my family happens to love for his language skills and amiable demeanor, and hung out with his host brother and this other kid from Sweden doing a one year homestay. We happened to stand in the center of this chaya (tea house/coffee house) of sorts and just rambled on about politics - mostly European - unabashedly. While it isn't my standard topic of preference, just being able to speak lots of English was refreshing.
When we first arrived in Nara, we went to the tera where daibutsu or the big statue of the Buddha lives. I've always wanted to go and see it so I finally glad to do so. But there was so little light, I really couldn't take any nice photos or even see it very well. Before entering the tera, there's a huge incense bowl of sorts where people light incense before entering the building. Inside the building there's this huge wooden column where at the bottom, there's a generally small, squarish hole. Those who can squeeze through are said to become happier because of it. Well it was a bit painful, but I did it and so did about 10 other people, including some adults, who happened to jump in and take the challenge.
Photos before I continue rambling on:
Sojiroh and my host mom lighting it up in the incense bowl.
The first entrance into the big otera where the daibutsu resides.
The first entrance into the big otera where the daibutsu resides.
Sojiroh folding his fortune, where everyone elses are tied. He got a good, my host mom got a very good, my host dad got slow luck and I got bad luck. My fortune warned me from making an travel anytime soon.
It said that if you rub your hand against any body part on this statue and then rub it on your corresponding body part, whatever ailment you have there will be cured. I rubbed its nose, then mine, since I had a small cold. Afterwards a man not so sneakily rubbed the statue's crotch area and then his. Maybe it's the next Viagra?
My first hurdle to being enlightened/happy, FOR LIFE. If there's one reason to come to Nara, it's this!
After scouring the Daibutsu's crib we moved on and ate at this little joint. Buckwheat noodles and tenpura - it was delicious. Afterwards we fed these little ones, called shika or more simply deer, some biscuts:
They also get aggressive once they catch sight of you with the precious food, on sale in every shop in Nara. They also snatching paper for people's hands or just off the ground and eating that too.
After that we rode jinrikisha - which are rickshaw's. Two people ride and one incredibly skinny but powerful man pushes. The guy's name was Yamamoto, but he asked us to call him Yama-chan. I couldn't help but chuckle a little, but I think it came off as a friendly smile. Nonetheless - the ride was awesome!!!
My day in Nara was pretty great, except for the incessant rain. After we got back to Toyohashi, we had dinner in this little ramen shop in the back, which apparently my family frequently visits. It was also some of the best ramen I've had. I'm certainly going to miss, cheap and authentic Japanese cooking.
I've got more to post about later, when I don't feel so tired. Videos from my stay, tales of my 1st visit to a 100 yen shop, which totally blast American 99 cents stores out of the water, second-hand CD shops, where prices are slashed 90% but the CDs are like-new and tons of other stuff. I guess I've got to ramp up the posting before I leave. 4 days left. :(
posted by George A. at 7:46 PM
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