The garage in Kyoto - three cars deep, 10 storeys, delivered to you like a giant vending machine

To Ji temple in Kyoto, Japan's tallest pagoda

Built to withstand earthquakes and bad selfies

Inari is the gos of rice and prosperity and the fox is Inari's messenger

Lucky mini torii with wishes and prayers

There are over 10, 000 red torii going up the mountain

And about 10 000 visitors..including these school children

Electrical wiring chaos, police order and lamps

Deer emerging from subway...sacred for so long, they are totally unimpressed by people

Preparing to bully some more tourists ( including me..horns were very painful)

Entrance to main Buddist temple in Nara, Todaji

One of the largest wooden buildings in Japan

Not impressed because he bowed to me and did not get a cracker

Awaji service station..with a ferris wheel..which we had to go on

View over the inland sea, Osaka, Kobe and rainstorm

Nara to Naruto

September 7 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

Last two temples in Kyoto - one at Rico's request, one a little Insta-famous (overcrowded and a little underwhelming). Then on to Nara, the first fixed capital of Japan in around 700 - but only for 70 years or so, as the power of the Buddhist establishment threatened the emperor enough to move to Kyoto. A green park scattered with temples (family limited me to one) and sacred deer - deer who bow to you, really, because this is Japan, and then butt and nibble you quite aggressively if you don't feed them deer crackers! We drove to Naruto, the edge of the island of Shikoku, past Osaka and Kobe, across wonderful bridges, great industrial ports, a ferris wheel at a service station and dramatic rainclouds over the gree hills and shipping lanes..Read more