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If you want to go to Nara,
  1. try its specialty dish, kakinoha sushi. Typical sushi comes with raw fish in vinegar rice, but kakinoha sushi comprises vinegar rice and fish - usually mackerel - pickled in salt and vinegar. These ingredients are then wrapped in persimmon leaf, which is said to have an antibacterial effect. You can keep kakinoha sushi without refrigeration for 3 days!
  2. buy Naraduke pickles, another Nara speciality. These pickles have clearly withstood the test of time; records of them hark back to 1,300 years ago! They are made from shirouri (a vegetable called white melon) and marinated with sake mash to imbue them with a unique flavour.
  3. visit its historic landmarks. As Japan’s first capital in 710, it boasts 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It thus houses the most number of such cultural heritage sites in Japan, including ancient temples like Todai-ji, Kofukuji and Kasuga Grand Shrine.
  4. explore the back of Todai-ji. It is an interesting area with several smaller temples for you to explore.
  5. join a fabulous festival called Mantou Kuyo-e, which is held at Todai-ji every August 15. Be stupefied by the amazing sight of 2,500 lanterns illuminating Todai-Jim’s grounds. These lanterns pay homage to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) and commemorate beloved dead family members who are believed to visit the world during this period.
  6. visit Menfudo Shonyudo Cave, the biggest limestone cave in Kansai. Stand in awe at the magic woven by the wand of Mother Nature. A wide range of stalactites awaits to excite you.
  7. visit the Nigatsu-do (February Hall), which is a beautiful hall up on the side of Mount Wakakusa. History buffs will surely relish the chance to enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of Nara’s prized structures.
  8. observe the Wakakusa Yamayaki. Winter in Japan is notoriously cold, but it is also the time when soul-warming fire festivals are held. Dedicated locals will set the grass on the hillside of Mount Wakakusa on fire on January 23 - in an attempt to kill the demons residing on the mountain. It’s great fun to watch the fire warm the embers of your heart!
  9. buy shika senbei (deer biscuits) to feed the adorable deer roaming around Nara Park. Gain some karma by feeding these deer, which are considered in Shintoism to be messengers of the gods.
  10. head over to Imanishi Shiso Original Store, the only sake brewery remaining in Miwa. Miwa is home to Japan’s oldest shrine, Omiwa Shrine. Devotees make their way here to worship Mount Miwa itself. Hence, since Miwa is where “the Waters of Gods flow”, you can rest assured that the sake tastes refined and exquisite!
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Great post. Nara really was a beautiful place to visit. Until I read this, I never knew that Nara was Japan's capital (before Kyoto and Tokyo). Obviously a gap in my research - I'm not surprised to learn of this though as it's so beautiful.
We'll be visiting again in a few years to experience the rest that you described that we didn't see.
A tip for feeding the deer, only buy the cookies, and feed the deer, when you're within sight of the temple buildings.
When we visited, our cab dropped us off far from the temple buildings. There were deer there, and a lady in a hut with a huge, transparent box of cookies to sell.
We watched her loudly implore a tourist from the States to quickly get away from her hut/shop as the deer from the periphery were homing in on him. He didn't have a chance and was ambushed by very threatening deer who obviously hadn't got the be 'adorable and bow' memo. Instead the guy was threatened so much, he had to throw the cookies and really had to run for his life!
So please, get closer to the temple buildings, don't be tempted to buy cookies and feed the deer at the park's outer periphery. My advice is to go nearer to the temples, and watch other deer human interactions first, especially if you're with kids.
The deer closer to the temples are adorable and do bow before accepting cookies. They're great and seem very polite.
In short, the deer near to the temple might be messengers from the gods - the deer away from the temple areas, sadly, looked more like the couriers from hell.
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LOL at your last three words
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Gee, I just attempted to zap your post and realized that you've forwarded 50% of the zaps from this post to me - so I couldn't find the lightning bolt to zap. Thanks, no-one has ever done this before. 🤗
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Ya, I figured you would chime in with your stories, so why not?
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Todai-Ji really is precious. It also houses the largest bronze statue of a sitting Buddha. Great list.
The only other thing I'd point out to newbies is that the deer in Nara are not all made equal - some can be quite aggressive when feeding them. Word of caution.
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Thanks for chiming in. Btw what’s your connection with Japan? xP
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Hahah I'm just a simple weeabo pleb who's been to Japan a few times and fell in love!
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Thanks for filling the Japan territory with great content!
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Do you have a favourite place?
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Hakone is my absolute favorite! hbu?
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Yokohama
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Thanks. Noted for our next trip.
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My next post will be on Yokohama