Day trip to Nara

Got to Nara early, to both avoid the crowds and to catch the morning light on a beautiful day. My primary goal was to visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, one of my favorite shrines. After this I hiked up the hill behind Nara Park for the view. The huge Todai-ji with its Great Buddha was visible, but I had no interest in visiting as the bus tour groups would be swamping the grounds.
I took a stroll through the shopping areas near the train station before departing, enjoying a peaceful and low-stress visit to this horribly over-touristed location.Read more