I began my week with a day trip to Nara, Japan. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period in the 700s the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto. Nara has developed from a town of commerce in the Edo and Meiji periods to a modern tourist city, due to its large number of historical temples, landmarks and national monuments. Nara was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1998, making it a very special place to visit.
This place is also special because of all the DEER! According to the legendary history of Kasuga Shrine, the god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital. Since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country. Tame deer roam through the town, especially in Nara Park. We stopped by a snack vendor to feed the deer sika senbei (deer crackers). Some deer have even learned to bow in order to receive senbei!
After an eventful day of historic places and deer nose boops, we headed back home and packed for our upcoming trip: Kyoto, Nakasendo Trail, Tokyo.
We began our time in Kyoto as many adventures begin in Japan: on the train. We were headed to Remote Year’s “walk with a Geisha” experience, where we had the chance to learn about Geisha, the district in Kyoto, and speak directly with a working Geisha who was generous enough to share about herself and interests. It was a really interesting experience, and I think the most surprising thing I learned was that it’s truly a job. There are the right places to learn the trade, children aspire to be a Gesiha, and families are proud about Geisha’s upholding tradition. I have not seen Memoirs of a Geisha, but I think it has led to a lot of misunderstanding about the Giesha experience, and in some ways, has had a detrimental impact. Kyoto is one of the original Geisha districts, and is part of the reason the tradition continues.
That night, we had the chance to explore Kyoto with locals, and ended up at some really hole-in-the-wall places. It began to snow (which, according to the locals is rare), and everyone — and I mean everyone — reverted to being a child. We were having snow ball fights in the street, playing the snow and just enjoying the magic of the rare experience.
It snowed all night, and so we headed to the key Kyoto destinations the following day. At the Golden Temple, we were among hundreds of visitors to see the special snowy view. We also visited Fushimi Inari, famous fo its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari. After a long day of walking around in the cold weather, we headed back to our hotel to prepare for our journey on the Nakasendo trail the following day.
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