My final full day in Japan. It was a good day. It was sad to think about how it was coming to an end and that the next day I would be returning to Korea and I will no longer be in vacation mode, but it was also exciting because I really wanted to visit Nara and for several days I had been going back and forth in my head on whether or not I would be able to go, but the day before I didn't have enough things to do in Osaka to warrant doing another full day of exploring, so I decided why not? It's for that reason that I am actually really glad that I decided to solo travel to Japan this year, instead of giving in to my fear and nervousness and going with someone else. Traveling by myself, I was able to make last-minute decisions and plans and it didn't matter what anyone thought except myself.
I tried to leave relatively early enough in the morning to arrive in Nara around the time everything was opening up. I think I ended up getting there at a pretty good time. Quick advice, unless you know exactly what you want to do, it can't hurt to go to the visitor's center. At the station when I first arrived, I went into an information center because there was a sign that said there were tourist maps. I figured that it can't hurt to get a map, even though I already had a bunch of things highlighted on my phone. When I went in and asked for a map, the sweet lady that worked there both gave me a map and actually walked me through a recommended route, highlighting things that are really worth going to and are often overlooked. She also gave me a little origami deer that I complimented too.
Nara, if you don't know, is very famous for being the origin spot for a lot of Japanese culture and history. It was once the capital of the country and several other things, but the city is probably most widely known for its deer. There is a whole park where deer just live and roam wildly around people. They are smart too. You can purchase these little deer biscuits for them and they know when you have them. They watch you. But they also safely cross the street and will even bow. It's so cute. If you bow to them, they will bow back. They are so polite.
So I was recommended to go around the park first. Inside the park are a bunch of temples, historical buildings, and other attractions. My first stop was Kohfukuji Temple, the five-story Pagoda and the Central Golden Hall (which is only open at certain times to the public and I was able to go in). The five-story pagoda was probably the most interesting to me in that it had burnt down eight times, and the most recent reconstruction was actually finished in this century, not often what I think about when I see historical buildings. The top of the pagoda also has a small sphere that is said to hold some of the Buddha's ashes. 
After the temple, I went further into the park until I got to the Nara National Museum. This museum was showing a lot of the Buddhist history that was facilitated through the country through Nara in one exhibit and in another that I saw, showed Nara through the years and through various historical periods. 
Next was a massive temple, the Todaiji Temple. There is a massive Buddha in this temple. Also, quick tip, never feed the deer outside of this temple. They are the most aggressive in the whole park.
Just before the temple is also a huge gate called the Nandaimon Gate.
After going through the gate and the temple, I started making my way uphill to see the Great Bell and the Nigatsudo hall. This was a very beautiful structure, but even more than that, it also gave me a view of the whole city. It's right on the back end of the park.
I made my way around the backside of the park by the Wakakusayama Hill, where I found the deer a lot nicer to feed, all the way to the Wakamiya Jinja Shrine. Another beautiful testament to Japanese culture and architecture.
After making my way out of the park, I started walking towards another temple that was in the middle of town, but by this time, I was tired and when I walked past the Nara Visitors Center, I got curious. I saw that they had free cultural activities, like writing your name in calligraphy and origami, and I figured I could go in and do something and give my feet a bit of a break. I got so much more out of the place then I expected. 
In the center, the workers were all proficient in different languages, and the English speaker was a really kind man. He told me about different festivals in walked me through making the origami deer, but I think the best thing I got out of it was I found out about an event, where they were only doing twice, and the day I was there was going to be the second and last time they did it. It was a performance of Noh (traditional Japanese theatre) with about an hour beforehand where they explained the history, characters, and instruments they use in the shows. We were provided with an English translation of the script and after the show, we got to actually try to play the different drums. I think it is such an interesting twist of fate in that I could have walked right past that center and not found out about it and not have gotten to see traditional Japanese theatre at all during the trip, despite the fact that I was really interested in it ever since I learned about it in my world theatre class in college.
It was getting dark by the time the performance was over. The two temples I had wanted to visit both closed at five, so I couldn't go. I did know there was a lighting festival going on in Nara park after dark, so I went and got dinner, saw the lights, and made the long train ride home.
Overall, I am so glad that I went to Japan. I have always wanted to go there and I'm super glad I got the chance. I am definitely not done yet, though. I really hope to get the chance to go back one day. There are some places I didn't get to go and some things that I never got the chance to do, that I want to do someday. But for now, I am really glad I went. I'm really proud of myself for going alone and I am proud to say that Japan is the first country I have ever visited that I didn't live in.
Oh the irony
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