Nara and Graduation

Last weekend I went to Nara - one of the former captials of Japan, which is known for it's many old temples and shrines. Nara is in the prefecture (province) of Nara which mountainous and full of beautiful trees. The scenery was heightened by a light dusting of snow, and although I wasn't thrilled about the temperature, it did make everything look wonderful.

These are photos from Todaiji Temple, which houses one of the biggest Buddhas in Japan. There is a hole located in one of the pillars near the back of the temple that is the size of the Buddha's nose. It is said that if you crawl through it you will become enlightened. Naturally Nicole and I found ourselves wriggling through the hole. When I squeezed through and onto the floor I was greeted with applause from a crowd of Japanese tourists that thought it was cute that the white girl was participating in this cultural tradition.

The other funny thing about Todaiji is that it's surrounded by Nara Park which is filled with deer that roam around free. The funny thing was if you approached them and bowed, they would bow back at you!!!! It was pretty silly. I have some great video footage of it...

The other photos here are of graduation. The Japanese school year begins in April and ends in March, so these are some goodbye photos... I'm going to miss these kids a lot!!!

Enjoy!