21. Nara

OK, I'm sticking with my story that we took the train to Nara after a morning visit to one last temple in Kyoto, notwithstanding that we're wearing different clothes. Nara was the first "permanent" capital of Japan. Shinto tradition dictated that the capital had to be destroyed every time the emperor died and a new capital built. As Buddhism replaced Shinto this pretty impractical rule disappeared around 650 AD, although it's hard to notice. The first two permanent capitals built after dropping the rule were abandoned before they finally settled down in Nara in 710 AD. The capital became the focal point for the spreading of Buddhism and Chinese culture, writing etc. into Japan, which lasted for a whole 70 years, when the capital was moved to Kyoto, where it stayed put for the following 1,000 years. Once Nara was declared (erroneously) to be the permanent capital, the noble families all built their estates and family temples there, and supported the huge number of Buddhist temples sprouting up. In fact, this concentration of religious power in Nara ended up strangling itself, as one ambitious monk seduced the empress and almost took over the throne. Not to keep banging on about the emperors, but their reaction was not to get even, but to leave Nara and move the capital to Kyoto, where his wife could be kept away from the seductive monks.

Most of Nara's historical sights are maintained in an enormous park called Nara Goen. The biggest temple complex, Todai-ji, is entered through this huge wooden gate called the Nandai-mon, which is flanked by a couple of monsters to protect the Buddha image inside. But the real protectors are these deer. There are more than a 1,000 of them and they pounce on anyone that might be carrying food. You've been warned!