Asuka to Nara

This was the sight on awaking in our farmhouse at Asuka. This is the internal wiring for the house. Exposed wiring with cute little insulaters as they cross the beams. Luckily Japanese houses aren't

made of thin materials and paper otherwise it would be really dangerous. This farm house consists of a few separate buildings joined together with bits of wood and plastic sheeting with bits and pieces, including plumbing, sticking out everywhere. But it works  I have looked at a shop and house or two under construction or renovation and the materials are very light and small.  Where we might have 100x50 timber frame they have 50x50 or less and very thin ply. All the less to crush you with during the next earthquake I guess.

It was a bit of a mission planning a route from Asuka to Nara that would use our Japan Rail pass. We were, because of my mistake, on a private rail line which also has its own stations. After trial and error I settled on changing trains in a small place called Uenbi where the rival stations were close. All went according to plan and Uenbi station was almost a model for a tiny country village station with old sloping tiled roof architecture and ancient looking wooden beams. The ticket office was bordered over and there were no officials (unusual in our experience) and just a few passengers. Rosemary and I were pleased to see the back of the private Kintetsu line and be back on Japan Railways, even though the Kintetsu Corporation had shouted us a comfortable ride from Ise.

Soon we were in Nara, Japan's first (?) permanent capital. Our booked accomodation through Air B&B had come to an end and so we needed to find somewhere to stay. We settled on a Super Hotel Lohas, having visited another Super Hotel Lohas a few 100 meters away and found it too expensive. This seems to be a pattern with business hotels. There are two, quite close together and with identical names, one cheaper than the other.

Super Hotel Lohas, version 2

This is my first experience of a business hotel and I find them fascinating. Even in a touristy place like Nara they are designed for businessman (mainly men but also a few business woman) and have strict check out / in times of, say 10am / 4pm. Arriving earlier in the day we had no option but to leave our bags to be collected when we returned at the appointed time.

On offer at the check in desk at the Super Hotel were a selection of pillows or different firmness. We were also invited to help ourselves to five products from a couple of draws of lotions, powders, hair nets etc. God knows what most of it was. By now I have learned (re-learned?) that the correct thing to do, even when I wan't none of it and don't really know what is on offer, is to simply comply. I reached  in, grabbed a couple of items, smiled and bowed a bit and then everyone was happy. Social cohesion above waste and consumerism every time.
Breakfast is included and comprises a free for all self help breakfast in the lobby which is transformed into a restaurant for the occasion. You help yourself to all you want, clear your tray and dishes and even wipe your table down with the cloth provided. Well trained business people in Japan. I hate to think of the mess this would create in New Zealand. It just wouldn't be worth the bother but here, after breakfast, it is as clean as tidy as if the breakfast melée hadn't happened.

The afternoon comprised a visit to the Daibutsu, the giant Buddha, which was the primary purpose behind our coming to Nara. It is huge and, at least for me, very impressive. We were able to sit for a while to just look at it and it's impressiveness just grew and grew.

There are thousands of tourists, mainly Japanese and many of them schoolchildren,

 visiting the Daibutsu and the surrounding temple grounds which have hundreds of (mangy) tame deer wandering around gorging themselves on the biscuits you can buy to feed them with. 

I was going to get something from this vending machine but I was worried it would be quiet deer.