By Paul Topping

It’s an early train to Nara from Kyoto, Japan. It is about a forty-five-minute journey. This is perfect as it gives us five hours in this small but historic town. The night before was spent drinking good Japanese wine, but we didn’t sleep well.

The Whinging Pome Random Rule 262: always try the wine of the country you are in, as it may surprise you.

This has especially applied to my visits to Jordan, Lebanon, Santorini, to name but a few. The Japanese wine is extremely pleasant, and I am surprised to hear that many of the vines originate from Austria. Perhaps it’s all to do with temperatures and soil, what the French call “terroir”.

We arrive at the station, flash our JR roaming rail pass, and they don’t even check it. I think they feel we foreigners have paid so much for it, we should be treated like royalty. That’s been the norm when getting through station ticketing booths on our numerous Japan journeys. 

Nara was the first true capital city of Japan between 710 and 784, and was predominantly Buddhist, but then went downhill in status as Japan’s main religion shifted. Nara today is one of the top five places to visit in Japan. The station, like most, is spotlessly clean and we quickly find the tourist office located with its own Starbucks. A young lady converses with us in perfect American English. We explain that we have only five hours in Nara. She says, “Go straight for three kilometers, then left, walk in a circle, and then walk back to the station. You will see many of the key temples, shrines, pagodas, parklands with special deer, and a couple of museums.”

The initial part of the town reminds me of Accrington in Yorkshire, England, in the 1970s, a bit grim and basic. This turns out to be the only part of Nara that disappoints.

The many Buddha statues indicate historic links with Buddhism, and some were founded as early as 680 AD. Some parts of the town, along with some buildings, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We visit what the Japanese say is the largest wooden building in the world, Tōdai-ji Temple, then pass some amazing pagodas and other temples, arriving at a park. The park deer, as you approach them, drop their heads at you, very Japanese. If you bow back, they bow back in anticipation of some deer biscuits. No, not made of deer, but for deer. They are said to be heavenly deer. The story goes that a god once arrived on a white deer, but you will not see any white deer these days. How many photos do you need of deer? It’s crazy, everyone is snapping away. These deer are friendly, however.

Jezebel is now templed out and ready to eat.

We go to the Nara National Museum. It’s ticketed, like most such buildings in Japan. Loads of Buddha statues from over the decades. If that’s your thing, it’s a great place to visit. Vases, clothing, and more to see. Jezebel finds the restaurant, large and basic. Very limited food offer. We select coffee and cake. No credit card facilities. My lady is not amused or fulfilled.

So we head back to town, walk a very pleasant alleyway of shops, looking for restaurants. Some don’t take credit cards, some don’t allow children, and some are closed. As the search goes on, hunger pains are directed at me. Ultimately, we enter a small wooden restaurant construction. Shoes off and into a delightful bar counter with eight seats only and two staff. The chef takes our choices: mackerel over hot coals, mixed vegetables, beer, and a salmon grain rice bowl. Behind the bar is the charcoal-fired grill. A very pleasant light lunch. No doubt someone is going to be hungry again in a few hours.

Back to the station, the so-called express train does the fourteen stops, and it’s time for a drink. Osaka Station has a shopping mall above it and two next to it. These are some twelve storeys high. We walk through a floor full of restaurants of all types. Japanese, obviously, Italian, Chinese, Thai etc.

Reflecting on the day and the rest of our trip, we are now templed and shrined out, but still want to explore more local food on offer in Japan. It reminds me of a visit to The Hague when I stayed with a friend who every morning gave me a list of museums I should visit. I became art-galleried out on day one on a three-day tour. I spent a lot of my time in Irish bars, where you always meet interesting expats. It’s been a lovely day of exploring and seeing amazing buildings. We like walking through towns, enjoying the history and architecture, and different cultures.