Japan: Nara

Nara is the site of Japan’s first permanent capital, and also the place where I got incredibly wet. The skies opened at about lunch-time and, being English, I was the only person there without an umbrella, so I got stared at even more than usual. My sunglasses have never been more redundant.

This photo was taken just before the rain started – Nara’s main attractions are all located in the middle of a huge park.

The place is infested with deer too – fearless deer. This one was obviously waiting for the department store to open.

Archery – I don’t know why.

After a while I realised it was pretty much impossible to stay even a little bit dry, so I embraced the damp clothes, and the chafing that came with them and went to see one of the biggest Buddhas in the world inside Tōdai-ji. This is the temple itself.

My heart sank when I saw this sign, but thankfully some careful repositioning meant the guards let me straight through.

This picture doesn’t really do it justice, but the Buddha is huge. It’s flanked by two smaller, golden statues. There’s a hole carved into one of the wooden pillars nearby that is supposedly the same size as one of the statue’s nostrils - if you climb through it it’s meant to be good luck. I had no chance.