After a lovely breakfast in the charming hotel we went back by bus to Nara park, this time heading for the great Buddha at the Todaiji temple.
Surrounded by deer we walked through the main gate before seeing the immense temple built in the Nara period (710-794 AD) which houses the Virocana Buddha made from cast bronze and originally covered in gold. Over the years, through fires, parts of it have been damaged and then replaced. The hands were made in the Momoyama period (1568-1615), whereas the head was replaced in the Edo period (1615-1867). The hall burnt down twice so the current building is third generation, built in the Edo period.
It is a third smaller than the original one but still ranks as the largest wooden structure in the world. It is beyond magnificent and seeing the Buddha provoked the same "oh wow" from all of us. As we got there really early we almost had the place to ourselves adding to the magic.
We were given four hours to roam the grounds walking to the big bell, several shinto shrines and past lovely stone lanterns. We walked the half mile back to last night's shinto shrine. People were milling around with many languages spoken around us illustrating how unique it was we had the shrine to ourselves with a priest and all those lanterns lit up. By day it was still lovely but no longer magical.
For lunch we went to central Nara, a big shopping mall, and sat in a sushi bar where the conveyor belt brings round plates of sushi. You take your own and as the plates are colour coded they just count your plates with a special scanner to figure out the bill. Very ingenious version of Japanese fast food. It was beyond delicious.
Walking through the shopping area, I found an antique shop selling a lovely antique lantern similar to the ones in the shinto shrine. Unfortunately they didn't ship, so we briefly contemplated hand carrying it home until we discovered how heavy it was!
Walking through the shopping area, I found an antique shop selling a lovely antique lantern similar to the ones in the shinto shrine. Unfortunately they didn't ship, so we briefly contemplated hand carrying it home until we discovered how heavy it was!
In the afternoon we had an appointment at a small geisha house to watch two girls get ready for their work. There is a hierarchy within the house of geikos and meikos who are apprentice geisha/geiko. The word geiko is more polite than geisha as the latter has more of a call girl connotation whereas geikos and meikos only entertain. They are under the wings of an okasaan( mother). This house had five geikos and one meiko plus a few girls in pre-training to become meikos. Once you are a meiko it takes an additional 3 years to be promoted to a geiko.
We watched a twenty year old girl, who is in her second year of being a meiko, put on her make-up. She does not wear a wig and has her hair done up once a week and sleeps with a wooden pillow that supports her neck so as not to mess her hair up. We all circled around her taking photo's watching the white make-up go on with a sponge, and then the eye liner and lip liner. I loved the pattern on the nape of her neck which is intentionally not all filled in with white, to make her more alluring.
We then watched the geiko, who was older (45) put on her wig and kimono. They get pulled in very tightly at the waist which must make it even more uncomfortable than a corset, and there are multiple layers of clothing.
After trying their patience for a long time we left to freshen up at the hotel and then proceeded to the restaurant where the girls were going to perform. We watched a lovely dance by the geiko and meiko in turn, accompanied by a string instrument. Dinner was a fabulous meal of many courses, beautifully presented and accompanied by beer, sake or wine. The geishas served us and stopped to chat so we could ask them questions about their career. They were very sweet and fun once they relaxed and stepped out of their formal role. During dinner we took turns playing this game with them where you sit on the floor with a table between you on which rests a cup. To the rhythm of the music you take turns placing a flat palm on the cup or if the other had removed the cup you had to put a fist on the table. You could take the cup away three times in a row. It sounds silly but was actually really good fun. All in all a very pleasant and interesting evening with the restaurant to ourselves and the girls being very forthcoming and patient.
meiko putting flowers in her hair and doing make-up
We watched a twenty year old girl, who is in her second year of being a meiko, put on her make-up. She does not wear a wig and has her hair done up once a week and sleeps with a wooden pillow that supports her neck so as not to mess her hair up. We all circled around her taking photo's watching the white make-up go on with a sponge, and then the eye liner and lip liner. I loved the pattern on the nape of her neck which is intentionally not all filled in with white, to make her more alluring.
We then watched the geiko, who was older (45) put on her wig and kimono. They get pulled in very tightly at the waist which must make it even more uncomfortable than a corset, and there are multiple layers of clothing.
After trying their patience for a long time we left to freshen up at the hotel and then proceeded to the restaurant where the girls were going to perform. We watched a lovely dance by the geiko and meiko in turn, accompanied by a string instrument. Dinner was a fabulous meal of many courses, beautifully presented and accompanied by beer, sake or wine. The geishas served us and stopped to chat so we could ask them questions about their career. They were very sweet and fun once they relaxed and stepped out of their formal role. During dinner we took turns playing this game with them where you sit on the floor with a table between you on which rests a cup. To the rhythm of the music you take turns placing a flat palm on the cup or if the other had removed the cup you had to put a fist on the table. You could take the cup away three times in a row. It sounds silly but was actually really good fun. All in all a very pleasant and interesting evening with the restaurant to ourselves and the girls being very forthcoming and patient.
meiko putting flowers in her hair and doing make-up
geiko getting dressed and putting wig on
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