However, that being said, there is at least one very good reason to check this place out.

Like I said, I went in the spring, but if you can, go in the fall. Apparently the fall leaves here are spectacular. So if you can make the trip here in the fall, check it out, but if you are in Kyoto at another time of the year, unless you have some extra time to kill, I would recommend checking out other places in Kyoto. or even the temples in Nara that Tofukuji got its’ name from.

Tofukuji is located in the southern area of Kyoto and about a 10 minute walk frok Tofukuji Station (on the Keihan Main Line and JR Nara Line). Here is the official page of Tofuku-ji.

A little information about the deer; for the most part the deer are really well behaved (some even seem to bow after or before you feed them–really I promise!) and pose no threat to you but there are some things to take caution about:

• • Avoid deer with antlers–there is a festival in October where the deers get their antlers cut off, but there are still some that do have them (as you can see in the photo below I did not follow my own advice but I do not recommend approaching deers with antlers). Obviously you do not want to get rammed by a deer but even more so by a deer that has sharp and hard antlers.
  • Do not make sudden movements–not only will this make the deer uneasy and maybe run away, but you also might anger another person who is trying to take a photo of the deer (this happened to me a couple of times and I was not too happy about losing my subject!)
  • Be aware of baby deer–if there is a baby there are likely to be parents close by and nothing angers a parent more than if the parent feels their child is in danger!

The deer are really used to visitors and a lot of times will pose nicely with you. If they find out you have food to give them they will follow you around for a little bit and sometimes call their friends over. Also, I was somewhat surprised at the whining sounds deers make. Check out the video of the deer to hear it.

Want to see more photos of Nara Park? Take a look at the gallery to see more photos of Nara Park!

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To be honest, before going, I was not too excited about it, but once I was then I was taken in with the sheer size of the building and the Buddha inside, especially when taking into consideration how long ago this was built.  The statue of Buddha, also known as Daibutsu, is 14.98 meters (about 50 feet) tall and weighs about 500 metric tons (500,000 kg).

Todaiji is located in Nara Park is a place you can’t miss if you are visiting Nara.  For more information see the wikipedia.

If you are going to see the fall leaves know that the two areas of Nikko change colors at different times. The Nikko National park at a much higher elevation and tends to change color about 2 weeks before the central area. I was there just a little late for Nikko National Park area just a little early for Central Nikko

Nikko National Park has is most famous for Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls (above left) and Ryuzu Falls (below). Actually, there are very many waterfalls, big and small, in and around Nikko, so if waterfalls are your thing, Nikko is a great place.

Access to Nikko National Park can be a little bit difficult for a tourist as there is no train that goes there and can only be reached by bus or car. It takes about 45 minutes to get there with no traffic. The bus schedule is fairly infrequent and somewhat limited and if you go on a weekend or during a peak travel time, the buses will get heavily delayed due to heavy traffic going up and down the mountain. If you have a valid driver’s license, I recommend renting a car as it will give you a lot more freedom to go to more places. The only down side to this is that parking can sometimes be somewhat tricky if you want to do a lot of hiking because there are some really nice hiking trails.

If you want to go hiking, I recommend the Lake Chuzenji Observation Course, which starts around Kegon Falls and ends at the top of Mount Hangetsu. As you can see in the photo above, at the top of Mt. Hangetsu there is a spectacular view of Lake Chuzenji and Mt. Nantai. The course takes about 5 hours and is about 11km. Also a really nice course is hiking across the Senjogahara Plateau. This is actually more of a trail rather than a hike as you walk along a wooded boards for most of it, but this two and half hour walk from Ryuzu Falls to Lake Yunoko (below) has wonderful scenery.

Once you arrive in Nikko there is plenty of available information about the surrounding area and attractions in English, but if you want more information now, see the official Nikko Tourist site.

If you are going to see the fall leaves know that the two areas of Nikko change colors at different times. The Nikko National park at a much higher elevation and tends to change color about 2 weeks before the central area. I was there just a little late for Nikko National Park area just a little early for Central Nikko.

Nikko is about 2 hours by train from Tokyo and there is no shinkansen that stops there. From Tokyo, you should take a train from Asakusa and if from the north you can take a shinkansen to Utsunomiya (if you like gyoza, Utsunomiya is famous for gyoza) and change to the JR Nikko line. For more information about access, see the Nikko Tourist Site.

To be honest, you probably only need a day to see most of, if not all, of the temples Nikko has to offer. The main ones you will want to see are Toshogu Shrine (housing the mausoleum of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and that of his grandson Iemitsu), Rinnoji, Futarasan Jinja (a shrine which dates to the year 767) and Shikyo Bridge (sacred bridge which after November 2006 you can no longer walk across).

For more information see the Japan-Guide or the official Nikko Tourist Site.

What makes Ninnanji worth it is the diversity I mentioned before. It has some really nice gardens and rock gardens, 5 story pagoda, enormous tori gate, temples, tea houses, covered walkways and bell tower. In addition the grounds are very well landscaped. All in all, Ninnanji feels very peaceful and welcoming.

For more information about Ninnanji, see the Japan-Guide.com.

I highly recommend checking Nara out, especially in the fall. If you want, you could probably see most of Nara without staying overnight, but I recommend staying one night there just to make sure you can see everythign you want to see. Below are a few places that you will not want to miss:

• • Todaiji–Huge temple that holds Japan’s largest Buddha (top photo)
  • Nara Koen–Nara Park is where a lot of temples, shrines and 1200+ deer are
  • Horyuji–Oldest wooden building and structures in the world
  • Kokufuji
  • Kasuga Taisha–Fabulous Shinto Shrine and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Toshodaiji
  • Yakushiji

For more information see the official site of Nara or the Japan Guide.

Also it should be noted that deer walk around the island like they own the place. I went during cherry blossom season and it was really beautiful, but Miyajima is worth going to at anytime of the year. Also I was surprised that sometimes the floating tori gate, isn’t floating. All the famous photos you see of it are when the tide is in, but when the tide goes out you can walk up right next to (or search for clams like some people do).

Miyajima is about 20 minutes to one hour away from Hiroshima by boat–depending on which boat and from where you leave. Be sure to check ferry schedules going both ways before you go, if you miss the last ferry there are not too many places to stay (they can also be a little expensive) and during peak travel season you may end up without a place to stay!For more access information see the Japan-guide.com.

Also here is the official site of Miyajima.

Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen Temple that is covered in real gold and was originally the residence of the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Golden Pavilion is beautiful throughout the year, especially when the fall leaves are changing colors. Along with the actual Golden Pavilion, the surrounding grounds are quite picturesque. The GP is located on the west side of Kyoto, close to Ryoanji. The best way to get there is either by taxi or bus 101 or 205.