Day 255: Nara

Today’s excursion sponsored by Laura Michelloti. Nara is a small town in southeast Japan known for its friendly deer and shrines. The deer are considered heavenly and are protected from hunting.

Laura really wanted squad to wear the traditional Japanese kimonos / yukatas so she made an appointment at a rental store. The store owners were helpful in showing us designs, accessories (obi ribbon), and potential hair styles. After selecting our yukata (the robe) we went into the dressing room where the store owners put us into the clothing. You are given towel bands and a camisole to prevent sweating and are wrapped up tightly; Catie warned us to push out our stomachs so we could breathe later. Squad looked fabulous and paid for a hair accessory and Laura got a hairstyle.

We walked around the park and fed the deer. They would come up to you for snacks and some accepted scratches. Sometimes they would arrive in swarms for the food. Several deer also bowed to receive a snack. After visiting the park, we journeyed to Todai-ji temple and walked around the complex. It got very hot so James, Hannah, and us went back to the shop to return our yukatas.

Once squad was re-united, we ate at Menya Samurai Dojo which was Taiwanese / Japanese fusion. We continued to shop downtown and got the famous mochi produced by two men hitting and folding the pastry. Laura got a video of the action.

Squad returned back to Kyoto, napped, and split for dinner at yakitori and sushi.

Side note on cultural appropriation VS cultural appreciation: For us personally (Mary/Kieran), it was very uncomfortable to wear the traditional clothing. Online you will read that the Japanese people do not have issues with foreigners wearing kimonos/yukatas and that the government wants tourists and citizens to wear the clothing to generate interest and appreciation of its culture. We noticeably saw Japanese citizens pulling out their phones and taking pictures of us while smiling, but it still largely felt unacceptable. We love our friends and want everyone to be able to have a trip that is meaningful to them. So to abate our uncomfortableness, we made a donation to Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.

Food:
Yakitori
Mazesoba

Spots:
Nara Park
Todai-ji ShrineRead more