Gliding along at 270 mph or so, I watch the Japanese countryside fly by me and wonder what it must have been like to take the Tokaido in the good old days of the Edo Period. It took about 3 hours for a high-tech 287-mph bullet train to traverse the historic path, so I can't imagine traveling on horseback or even on foot during the harsh humid summer. Kyoto and Nara, the two ancient centers of Japan, and Im going to see some of the finest, oldest and largest temples and shrines in the world.
That being said, Nara was magnificent. Horyuji really did take me back in time, and I still can't believe some of the things I saw there. It really hurts that I could not take any photos of the treasures there, as they were beyond words in their beauty, refinement and of course their age, some of them dating to around 600 A.D. Todaiji was an unimaginable feet of architectural and structural greatness, on a scale beyond belief. And the deer, who walk around the streets and parks and temples as members of the society.
Kyoto, with its bustling streets and abundance of temples and shrines, seemed like a place that thrived on its own culture. There was a decidedly different feeling from Tokyo, a more friendly and open, playful attitude towards everyone, and it was easy to see while walking through the crowded streets at night.
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