Japan

 

   This is one side of Japan - an extraordinarily rich history dating back centuries.  This picture is of Todaiji Hall, found in Nara. It is the largest wooden structure on the planet - there are no metal supports, only giant wooden pillars.  Inside of this monolith is a great bronze buddha, the biggest indoor buddha in the world.  In a word, it's big.  In two words, VERY big.  Outside there are monks' houses as well as deer that you can feed.  Watch out though - the deer bite at your hands if you don't feed them sugar cookies.
 

   Another facet of Japan are it's people.  What can you say?  They're great! I've never met a country full of more friendly, energetic, out-going, accepting, peace loving people. This is a picture of Terry and I with three japanese schoolchildren, in the grounds in front of Todaiji.  In a not-all-that-uncommon encounter, these schoolgirls ran up to us and asked if they could take our picture together.  When I decided to take a picture using my camera as well, they all squealed in delight.  Pretty corny, if you ask me.
   The evening of this picture, I left my friends for the first time on the trip and spent time wandering Kyoto on foot on my own.  I view this as the time when I first started cutting my traveling teeth.  Without speaking a word of Japanese, I found myself in a less touristy part of Nara, where the locals didn't speak English.  I managed to buy a bowl of noodles, find and purchase a discounted japanese comic book (Rikio, Violence Hero, possibly the most violent comic series ever made) and get back the the ship.  This wasn't much, but it was a good beginning for the Iowa boy.

 
A brief view from inside the temple.  Or rather, inside one of the wooden pillars that supports the temple.  You see, Terry and I saw a big line of school children squeezing through this hole, so we knew that we had to do it too.  It was a tight fit, but we both managed.
    We found out later that when you squeeze through that hole, which is exactly the size of the nostril of the giant Buddha of the temple, you are blessed by Buddha.  So yes, you're talking to a blessed guy here, so watch out!

 

   This is a Japanese rock garden in Kyoto.  The rocks have been kept carefully combed like this for hundreds of years.  They mimic waves flowing against islands and rocks on an ocean shore.  Some in our group tried meditating while sitting next to this garden; I just tried to enjoy their serenity.