Photographing Todaiji Temple and Ancient Nara Park

Kondo (Great Buddha Hall)- Ancient Nara

Yukes takes a photo of her father in front of the temple building. I framed this photo to capture not just the building, but its grandeur in relation to the size of the people at its doors.
Previously written about, here is another iteration with some better (different) photos.



The Todaiji temple complex is situated in the old district of Nara and is part of the Historical Monuments of Nara park that was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784 when significant development in the national government occurred. During this time, the Heijô-kyô site was selected following Chinese geomantic principles and a grand city plan laid out including palaces, Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines. When the government moved to Nagaoka and then Kyoto, the temples and shrines survived while the majority of Nara was abandoned (UNESCO).



We walked from the Metro station through the park, meeting the many deer that reside here. There are many carts selling biscuits to feed the deer (Which we did later) as well as ample photo opportunities. Further on, we came to the Enormous Nandaimon Gate after which was a short courtyard with a pond before the walls surrounding the Todaiji Temple. There were a lot of people around but they all stick to the main path. I found a side path that went to a small stone pagoda (sekitō) which was a nice private sanctuary.

The Deer of Nara, Ancient Nara

Photo by Yuki


We paid for our tickets in the wall of the compound and then entered to wonderful views of the temple building. It got better as the path intersected with that leading up to the temple which was both wide and full of photographs. There were a bunch of school groups taking class photos there too.



The Buddha itself is as impressive as it is large, however, I found two miniature models in the back the most fascinating. The signboard told me that it was completed in 1709 and is the largest wood building in the world but is still 30% smaller than the previous two which burned. While it is hard to imagine an even larger building, there use to be two enormous wood pagodas flanking the building as well, each 100m tall. That’s a 25–35 floor tall tower or the height of the Sheraton Wall centre, downtown Vancouver. Unfortunately, these towers were destroyed by an earthquake.



Then Yuki pulled me over to where these kids were going through a hole in a pillar. Apparently, it was the same size as the Buddha’s nostril and going through would be good luck. The Buddha is 30m high and has a 0.5m wide nostril. We waited until the kids ran off so that we wouldn’t embarrass ourselves and then Yuki went through. She made it through with ease so I went through and then her dad had a go.



Outside of the Todaiji temple, there was a time box and another monument for the beginning of Buddhism in Japan. Nearby was a gate where two girls were trying to get a picture with an uncooperative deer.

Photos with deer — Ancient Nara




We had lunch on a hillside which consisted of some sandwiches and snacks we’d brought along. Yuki’s mom’s bag is infinitely deep and seems to hold great treasures. Afterwards, we headed into the forest on Mount Wakausa to the Nigatsudo Temple. It was built in 1669 after a fire destroyed the first. Although not as significant, it provides a great view of the surrounding area after one climbs the steep stone steps.

Nigatsudo Temple View — Ancient Nara

Photo by Yuki

Building beside Nigatsudo Temple — Ancient Nara

The woman is taking a photo of her child at a well where water falls from the top of the cliff into a circular basin. Hidden behind the rocks, it is one of the many little things to find.
I was also surprised to find another small temple building up the hill further that no one else seemed to go to and caught up with Yuki and her parents in a lunchroom that provided free green tea. The side of this mountain has many stone lanterns along a tree covered pathway. Yuki’s dad bought some biscuits to feed the deer and they all came over, even chewing at his suit until we ran away.

Bridge in the Forest — Ancient Nara

A quiet place on the way through the woods from one temple to the next.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine is the head shrine for around 3,000 Kasuga shrines in Japan (gojapango) and is Shinto. It was smaller than we expected but found the famous 1,000 hanging lanterns as well as 2,000 stone lanterns. Both are very pretty to photograph as it’s not something I’ve really seen in person. There wasn’t a lot to see or explore here but the atmosphere felt great and was wonderfully peaceful. I would have liked to stay longer but we had many other things to do on our trip.

tsuri-dōrō hanging lanterns — Ancient Nara
As can probably be found on many travel websites, the hanging lanterns of Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

There was also a hill one could climb and sit on for 150 yen but I didn’t really understand why it was so significant. We ended up going back to the train station and found a place at the end of the shopping mall with huge portions that only cost 600–800 yen (6–8$). They had English menus too so I think it probably receives a lot of tourists and the meals are twice the normal Japanese size to accommodate the Westerners.

We missed out on several other buildings there that I would have liked to see. That means that I’ll have to go back to see the Kofukuji temple, Yakushiji temple, and Horyuji Temple among others. More than anywhere else we traveled, Japan seems to have the most secret little stashes that make me want to come back. Other places, it’s nice to see once, but places like Nara seem large enough and have enough different buildings that I could come back several times to see other parts in different seasons.

Girls and Lanterns — Ancient Nara

Two girls look at a camera at the gateto Kasuga Taisha Temple.