Japan Day 2

Starting with this, a bunch of plastic molds, we ended up with real fake food. Was really fun and now I know how all the fake food is made.

After lunch we left Kyoto and drove through the country to the former Imperial capitol of Nara.

First stop was the Todai-ji Temple, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. It houses a 500-ton bronze statue of Buddha. The statue is 49 feet tall, very impressive.

Sika deer are another sight in Nara. Very tame and everywhere. They are fairly small, not waist high. What beggars.

Next Temple was Shinto Kaishua Taisha known for its thousands of lanterns

and yes, more deer.

Back to the hotel for a little rest and then off to a Japanese style restaurant for dinner and entertainment.

The food was interesting and I didn't have a clue what everything was, but I tried all. We did cook thinly sliced beef in a broth...heated in a filter paper--yes, paper, in a mesh basket over an open flame. Lots of physics going on there.

Entertainment was the Kyoto equivalent of geishas singing and dancing. This girl is a maiko, an apprentice, who is 16 years old. She was accompanied by a gaiko who played the samisen

The maiko-geiko system is unique to Kyoto and somewhat different than the geisha system.

And so, back to the hotel.