Todai-ji - we could't believe our eyes. By the time we were done here, the Optimist voted to kick the Temple of Artemis off the "Seven Wonders of the World" list and replace it with this. The Todai-ji temple was built in 752 and was the head temple of all Buddhist temples in Japan.
We entered through the main gate, Nandaimon, which houses two Nio guardians said to travel with Buddha to protect him. The gate itself is a national treasure.
The main hall, Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), is the largest wooden structure in the world.
Inside is housed one of the largest statues of Buddha in the world. It stands more than 50 feet tall and is made of nearly 500 tons of bronze.
To understand just how enormous that is, here is a model of the Buddha's left hand.
More fierce warriors inside.
This wood pillar with a hole in its base is said to be the same size as Buddha's nostril. Those who can squeeze through are said to receive enlightenment in the next life. We felt smarter already!
NoFear takes a selfie going through.
The temple park houses more the 1200 deer. These animals are considered sacred as they are messengers from God. They may be messengers, but they must also be hungry. This one took a bite out of the map I was holding as I exited the temple.
We decided it would be better to feed them deer food instead of maps, so we bought some shika senbei (deer crackers) from a vendor and the chase was on! This cute lady is trying to explain to NoFear that the deer were chasing him because of the crackers. Yep - we got that!
While I was buying the crackers, one deer latched on to my shirt. This guy took a nibble of the Optimist's hoodie.
We grabbed a cab back to the airport. Our cute driver kept smiling at us and saying, "family, family." We nodded and smiled back. When we arrived at our destination, he opened his truck and gave us an entire package of Japanese cookies... just because he could. Love remembering those little moments of kindness. Not the best timing on this picture of a kind and happy man.
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