Nara

Nara, a short ride from Kyoto, was the capital of Japan before Kyoto and therefore, before Edo, or today's Tokyo. We went to Nara to visit the grounds of Todaiji Temple and its gigantic Daibutsu-den Hall, the largest wooden building in the world. We also enjoyed mingling with the tame, free-roaming deer on the grounds. Tradition has it that they are the messengers of the Shinto god Kasuga.