Nara and Horui-ji

Having mastered the highlights of riding a train I took an easy daytrip to Nara and Horui-ji from Kyoto. Nara was an early capital of Japan before Kyoto.

According to legend, nearly 2,600,000 people helped construct the Buddha — but as that would amount to nearly the half of the people in Japan at the time, the figure is probably exaggerated. Nevertheless, by the time the Buddha was completed in 751, it had consumed most of Japan's bronze production for several years and left the country almost bankrupt. The Great Buddha was finally dedicated in 752 with great pomp and ceremony. The emperor and his family were present for the occasion, as were hundreds of local monks and ambassadors from China, India and more distant places. The statue was dedicated by "opening his eyes" — an Indian priest stood on a specially built platform and painted in the eyes using a gigantic brush. The guests brought a dazzling assortment of gifts, many of which have been preserved in the Shoso-in treasury, along with the original paintbrush.

Kasuga shrine is filled with 3000 bronze and stone lanterns.

From Nara I took a local train to see Horui-ji. The temple there was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku who promoted Buddhism in Japan. Buddhism came to Japan only 50 years before the temple was built! The temple's pagoda is one of the oldest wood structures in the world.