So, more August trip photos. Horyuji is a temple located in Nara prefecture, but not in Nara city. Prince Shotoku founded the temple. He is the one who is said to have brought buddhism to Japan. If you visit the Nara area, you hear of him a lot. This is one of the oldest temples in Japan and the oldest wooden structure in the world, they date back to the 7th century! There really isn't much around here besides Hoyruji, but you could easily spend most of the day here. I would highly recommend it as one of the top places I've ever been in Japan. The sad thing is the coolest things here are not allowed to be photographed and with good reason because of light sensitive issues. They're some of the best treasures in all of Japan. We were rushed though because the heat was unbearable and I thought I was going to die of heat stroke. I wanted to see everything, but then find someplace cool asap, and there wasn't lots of shade here, and the humidity was sweltering! Above you see the main entrance gate. The temple is about a twenty minute walk from the JR train station. You can take a bus, but they are infrequent and well, I'm cheap so...we walked in the hot, hot sun. Remind me again to never go to the Kansai area in August....seriously, what was I thinking!?
Above you can see some of the main structures from a distance after you've entered through the main gate. Below you can see me trying to pose for a picture without passing out. No, that's not an umbrella, it's a parasol. They're very, very common in Japan in the summer time among Japanese women. I burn so quickly, and I hate greasy sunscreen, so I find it a useful alternative. I still had to put sunscreen on my arms though or they would get burnt. Many women wear long gloves on their arms during the summer time so they will not burn or tan. This is the only place in the world people don't rag on me for my paleness, as it's actually thought of attractive here.
Above: Another cool dragon fountain. I should start a collection of dragon photos. Well, I guess I already have one, don't I?
Isn't he mad sweet? He could kick your ass!
Some pretty flowers in a garden on the grounds.
A super old tall pagoda. Here is what is so cool about this place. Usually you can't see inside these things. They're closed up. However, these were open and you can look in. No photos though, they are scared objects, plus the flash could be damaging. It was super dark in the there though, however since the sun was so extremely bright I could make most of the objects out although it was hard to see details. I read that it can be very difficult to see anything here on a cloudy day. That was the one good thing about the hot, hot sun that day. There were flashlights inside you could use to shine on the objects and the beautiful old paintings on the walls. The place was stacked full of stuff! It was like something out of a story book!
Above: Me in front of the pagoda full of treasures. See the lady looking in? You could look in from all four sides! This was such a wonderful, different experience. I've been to many temples, but have never seen things such as this!Below: Markian sweating in the heat.
A pretty garden on the temple grounds. The orange building below contained a museum housing many treasures of Horyuji and objects related to the prince. There was some amazing pieces in there and the air conditioning made it about 100 times more amazing. So yeah, this place was fantastic. I'd like to go back when it's a little cooler and spend more time looking at the many treasures there.
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