Bullets and Deer

On Tuesday we took our first bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto. Man, very cool. The lightboard informed us at one point that we were travelling at 285 km/h! The scenery was flying by, the guardrails were a blur, and the ride was smooth. I enjoyed it.

Once in Kyoto, we left immediately (!) and headed to Nara to see the biggest Buddha in Japan. It is like the Kamakura Buddha's gigantic older brother.


Deer roam freely in the precinct.


The largest wooden structure (in the world?) housing the Buddha.



So big it's hard to get a full frontal photo!

Wood carved Bhodisava (sp?)

Oh, and he is covered with gold.

Pac-Man must not drink beer in this area!