Senso-ji Temple - Japan trip day 5

The previous post in this series is here.

From the Imperial palace we were dropped off at the Senso-ji temple entrance. In the middle of a busy street you get a temple entrance with a giant bell. Once you go past the bell, it is like stepping into Narnia from a cupboard. The rows of shops and the decor transport you to a different time!

The Senso-ji temple complex is beautiful. All of us prayed there the way the locals taught us. We got some ice-cream on the way back and did some shopping in the stores for candy. I tried my best to take photos without folks in them. You can see in the photos how much of a challenge it is.

There was a wedding photo shoot going on as well !! (you can see that in the photos)

A video highlight

After we walked out of the Senso-ji temple, we decided to cover the next attraction we had planned to see in Tokyo..will cover that in the next post.

From Osaka to Kyoto - First stop Nara Deer Park

The previous post in this series is here..

One of my contributions to this trip planning was an idea to just go from Osaka to Kyoto through a Viator bus tour with three stops on the way. If you are constrained for time this is a great idea as you get a guide for three important places.

We were pros at the breakfast area on Day 3 in the Toyoko Inn as the menu was the same. We went back up to the rooms to get our luggage and it was supposed to be a 15 minute walk to the bus pickup point. The pickup said 8:30. I suggested we leave early and we did leave early. What we saw there was similar to the National Geographic video of Antarctic penguins returning home and everyone trying to find their family all at once.

There were 20 plus buses on the side of the street with guides having flags, close to a 1000 people jostling on the pavement with all their luggage trying to find their guide and bus. The penguins had it easy!

Eventually we found the guide, walked back towards the hotel to our bus and got in. The guide was a Chinese guy who spoke good English. He said it was going to be a long drive to Nara and folks who wanted to sleep can. So I dozed off till we were almost at Nara.

Once we got off the bus we went to the deer park. We got a crash course on handling the deer and the brave ones paid and got deer biscuits to feed the deer. My first attempt did not go well as an aggressive deer bit me in the stomach through my shirt. We put some hand sanitizer on it and kept going. The second attempt was better as a few deer behaved and bowed before accepting the biscuit.

As a group we had fun!

After the deer we went to visit a smaller temple near the parking lot. We were told that there is a giant buddha temple 20 minutes walk away but we will have to come back from Kyoto separately as it was a half day affair to visit that temple complex. We made a note of that and got back on the bus..

Here is a video highlight reel..

The next stop was something else..

Wat Phra Singh Waramahavihan - getting used to long Thai names

The previous post in this series about the Dai Suthep temple is here..

We drove down from the hill top past many recent temples in Chiang Mai city and finally reached Wat Phra Singh. SIngh is same as Singham (Lion) said our guide Joy. We didn’t get the lion connection to the temple.

The temple predates Doi Suthep temple. This one was built in the year 1345.

It is beautiful !

We ended up in the shrine when they had just finished a special ceremony. It was interesting. They tied three bamboos together to make a tent and at the base of each tent they made offerings for the steeds or vahanas of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.. a swan, an eagle (Garuda) and a Nandi (bull) respectively.. some symbolism to take a person to god you need these three vehicles that the gods use. It was interesting to see the intersection and intermixing of Buddhist tradition with Hindu tradition.

We also got blessed as part of the group when they were all leaving which was a plus. We took our time soaking in the architecture and decorations. The place was getting crowded. Do not miss visiting this temple when in Chiang Mai.

A video highlights reel..

This was our last stop for the day. After this Joy told us that he would drop us off in the area with all the hotels and restaurants and night market. From there we take a Tuk Tuk to go to our hotel. He would meet us again the next day at 6:45 AM.