The Backpack Adventures

The last time we visited Nara Park  ( 奈良公園 ) was on the 16th day of our 2014-2015 Japan trip . That was also our first time to see this world-famous park with our own eyes. Nara Park  ( 奈良公園 ) For those who are not familiar with Nara Park , it is home to hundreds of free-roaming Sika deer . This 502-hectare  park also includes the grounds of temples and shrines which are popular tourist destinations themselves like Todaiji , Kohfukuji , and Kasuga Shrine (some of which we also visited).  Our photos in Nara Park: Although the deer of Nara Park are mostly friendly, you still have to be extremely careful Check out the road going to Nara Park Nara Par k is located at the foot of Mount Wakakusa . It was established in 1880, making it one of the oldest parks in Japan. Aside from that, Nara Park is also designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Science and Technology (MEXT) as one one of Japan's "Places of Scenic Beauty". The hundreds of free-roamin...

Located in 48 Noboriojicho, Nara City in Nara Prefecture, Kohfukuji  ( 興福寺 ) is a Buddhist temple that serves as the national headquarters of the Hosso school of Buddhism.  Kohfukuji  ( 興福寺 ) Kohfukuji History Kohfukuji or simply Kofukuji was established in 669 by Kagami no Okimi in the hopes that it would please Buddha, which in turn, would help her husband Fujiwara no Kamatari recover from his illness.  The first temple was built in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province which is in present-day Kyoto. Then in 672, the temple was dismantled and moved to  Fujiwara-kyo as it was the first planned Japanese Capital. However, the temple was dismantled again and moved to its present location in 710. It was built on the east side of the then newly established capital Heijo-kyo which is present-day Nara.  Follow the signages going to Kohfukuji Go up the stairs to reach Kofukuji Kofukuji was always associated with the highly influential Fujiwara Clan. Hence, it enjoye...

What I love about food businesses in Japan is that they are always trying to one-up each other. This leads to products that are either very eye-catching, artistic, and sometimes downright unique. The same goes for quality, servings, and taste. When all these seems tied or it's hard to really distinguish which is the best, they resort to annual national competitions. To which the winner gets recognition for his work and better sales for the year (and sometimes beyond). This applies to many of the Japanese traditional cuisines like ramen, okonomiyaki, and mochi among others.  Nakatanidou Mochi Shop Speaking of mochi , this Japanese food is an important part of Japan's culture and tradition. Since there are machine-made mochi now, those who make mochi in the mochitsuki style (mochi traditionally made in a ceremony) are still held by many in high regard and their mochi is considered higher in value and quality.  Nakatanidou Mochi Shop - Nara City, Nara Prefecture If you wis...