Guest Blog: Tom & Damo's adventures (Part 2)

Making friends

On next to Nara. Having not heard of Nara before my visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount it had to offer in such a small town. We visited the park and fed the deer some deer crackers. Once the deer realised you had food, 4 or 5 would surround you in seconds and nudge you in the hope that you fed them. I have never seen deer so tame and relaxed with humans. Although it was very funny to see one of the deer sneakily steal a pack of crackers out of a lady's hand when she wasn't watching. We also visited some more temples in the area, including the Big Buddha at Toudai-ji. Standing at 15metres this Buddha was enormous! And surrounding him the temple itself was also huge. A very impressive sight and a must see. 

We saw Jim on our travels

Along our stays we also camped. Damo brought along a tent and sleeping bags, and so we ended up building the tent each evening. Although slow at first by the end we got pretty quick at building it. Trying to find a spot to camp at 11 o'clock on the evening was not so much fun though, especially when really tired from the sightseeing in the day. However, this was all worthwhile when we found a perfect spot at the top of a hill overlooking the town. This had a shrine, and a viewpoint which gave an awesome view.

Enjoying the view from Umeda Sky Building

Next onto Osaka. I knew the city was big, but didn't realise the size it would be. We drove through the hills and mountains then suddenly appeared on the outskirts of Osaka, with buildings as far as you can see. After finding a hotel to stay in what I would call, a 'rougher' part of town, we planned our days and set out on the city. We went up the Umeda Sky Building which was awesome. I recommend to any visitor, the view was amazing and you can see across all of Osaka in all directions. Any couples, make sure you look for the lovers seats at the top for a photo. You can also buy a heart shaped keyring to lock on the wall at the top to ensure your love is everlasting. In the evening a trip to Dotonburi was required. After getting off the subway, we ended up walking the wrong way by mistake for 20 minutes! This meant we had to work backwards, oops! We walked down the famous street and took a photos of the Glico man, the big crab, and the great bright lights outside of every bar and restaurant. After a few drinks at the foreigner friendly Zerro and Murphy's bars we headed out to the clubs until the early hours. Dotonburi definitely provides a good night out. 

Jet setting around Japan

Where's Damian?

I hope that you've all had a grand Golden Week, letting loose and relieving any pent up stress.

I was one of the more fortunate souls and got over a week off! I made the most of it and went travelling around Chiba, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and even a little bit of exploring closer to home. Had an absolutely amazing trip and would like to thank Jim for lending us his tent. We really would have been roughing it without it!

Replicating Tom's favourite movie scene

I won't go into  further details as there will be a guest post from my friend Tom (once he finishes his 30 hour transit home!), who I am grateful for putting up with me during our travels.

I took my fare share of photos, so if you're interested in having a look, here's a link to my album on Facebook (should be able to access without a Facebook account). 

My favourite building - Horyuji temple, Nara.

Horyuji temple near Nara (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The oldest building in Japan is Horyuji temple. It is in west Nara.

It was designed by Shotokutaisi. It was built 1300 years ago.

Kudara Kannon is one of the most beautiful statues of Buddha  in the world. Kudara Kannon was a secret statue for a long time.

Nandaimon is a Japanese style gate.  There are two statues in Nandaimon. One statue is "a" . This statue's mouth is open. The other one is "un" . This statue's mouth is shut.

Inside the Koudo building it is quite dark. There are a lot of  interesting statues of Buddha inside.

One of the best buildings in Horyuji is Gojyu-no-to pagoda. There are five rooves. It is 34 metres tall.

It costs 1000 yen to enter.  

Written by Kaoru
 

The University Murders

I have read two murders stories continuously. These two stories are interesting because the criminals are unexpected persons.

I like mystery, so I have read this book in this three-day weekend. I wonder Billy Marr wasn't necessary in this book. What was his function ? The last scene, it seems like a stretch.

Q5. Imagine you are going to make a film of The University Murders, but it will take place in your country. Which university city would you choose, and why ?

I choose Nara city. I think the city has to have a good nature and good situation to be able to apply the study in the university. On the other hand, the city isn't an urban area and it hasn't so many people in university area. Thus I choose Nara city.