The other day, Martyn, Anna, Seiji (my husband), and I went to Nara. Martyn, Seiji, and I had visited Tōdai-ji before with Martyn's wife, but it was Anna's first time. The temple was built in the early 8th century, and there is a very famous Buddha statue. I think temples and shrines in Kyoto look more elegant and sophisticated, while those in Nara have a simpler and rustic charm. Both have different attractiveness.
The temple was built by order of the 45th emperor of Japan, Emperoer Shōmu (701 to 756). He hoped to protect people from illness, hunger, disaster and more to use Buddhism. He believed that Buddha would help bring peace and prosperity to the country.
When you look at the people in the picture below, you can notice how big the building is.
As soon as we stepped inside, the air was filled with the scent of incense.
The Great Buddha statue is about 18 meters tall and weights 250 tons. It was designated a National Treasure in 1958. The original one was built in 745, but it damaged by fires several times over the centuries . A few parts are still original, but the statue itself is a replica.
On the both sides of the Great Buddha, there are two golden Buddha statues. A group of middle school students was visiting on a school trip, so you can see how big the state is in the picture below.
There was a miniature model of the entire place. Unfortunately, two of the pagodas and several other buildings were lost to fire long ago.
I've been there many times, but every time I feel overwhelmed, so probably both Martyn and Anna had the same feeling.
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Looks beautiful. I hope that it wasn't too crowded.
Unfortunately, the temple is very popular among tourists, so there were so many people. When you look at the shoulder of the Buddha statues, you see dust. Every single year, monks clean them up and the event is very famous. Even so, there is still dust on them. That means lots of people keep visiting there.