The mysterious Nara
Nara is a miracle. You can easily get lost in the curvy alley ways, up and down the hill. Nara was Japan’s first capital (not Kyoto, as many people think). The parks and sacred places are scattered around the place, alternating between Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. They all spread a peaceful atmosphere for contemplation, and the landscape is softly dipped in incensed air. After immersing ourselves into Shinto religion, we went on to see the Todai-ji (Buddhist temple) and the Daibutsu (Great Buddha).
Nara offers all of a sacred terrain. If you enter the great hall, where Daibutsu rests and observes everything from above, the 15m high statue makes you feel humble. There are some rituals before passing the hall of the Great Buddha. You step through a straw circle, starting on your left and continuing by doing the infinity loop. This prevents you from every health issue you might have been struggling with in the future.
There’s also a ritual primarily for kids: One of the wooden temple columns shows a 50cm spot, where kids slide through with their head and outstreched arms to the front first. Usually the parents pull them through, because they sometimes get stuck in this tiny spot, that has the size of one of Daibutsu’s nostrils. Here as well, this is for a lifetime of happiness and health.
Rivers and Roads 