Back in Japan

I was able to visit Nara, the first capital of Japan. It was founded in 710, which makes this the 1300th anniversary of Nara. 1300 years, thats a long time and the city is celebrating. Nara is also notable for two other thing, its concentration of ancient Buddhist temples and its deer. The deer are believed to be angels sent by god. No hunting here There are hundreds of deer around the temple ground of Todaiji. As you can see the deer are very friendly. I don't think I would like to pet the deer in our back yard like this.




My guides for the trip were Ken Kono, his wife Kay, and 3 year old son Leo. Ken had spent 3 months in my lab spring of 2010. It is so nice to visit interest sites with locals. They were wonderful hosts.



A nice picture of the main temple at Todaiji. One of the most popular sights to see in Nara.




In the main temple at Todaiji is located the largest Buddha in Japan. Known as Daibutsu or "Great Buddha" it was built in the 700's and is almost 50 feet tall. It is still one of the largest Bronze statues in the world. An amazing sight to see.



As you can see in this short video the deer act a bit like pigeons. Vendors sell small cookies to feed to the deer. They seem to love them. I am surprised that more people don't get hurt



A picture of me making the movie above. Swarms of deer.



Two of the structures at Horvuji Temple. Location of the oldest wooden structures in the world. The building on the left is about 1300 years old. The 5 story Pagoda, although partially original was rebuilt in the 1400's. Very amazing structures. There were also beautiful gardens and a museum full of old statues and art. Much of it more than a thousand years old. Sorry, no deer here.



Here is Leo and Sento Kun. The mascot of the 1300th anniversary of Nara. Notice the Northwestern tee shire. It was a wonderful day of culture and history.



In Tokyo I visited NIH Japan. After I gave a talk at NIH a fun group went to a Yakitori bar. The food and company were excellent!