We’ve noticed an inordinate amount of tiny poodle-y dogs here, many of which have puffball haircuts, much to the kids’ delight. Also, so many fun and funny cartoon drawings on everything from packaging to menus to danger signs. We’ve seen a cartoon ninja on what we thought was a “beware of theft” sign and a poor little cartoon goose with crosses for eyes on a “danger of electrocution” warning in a park and a little cartoon person with a cartoon Osaka Castle on their head while they gleefully rode a bike with moons in their eyes (we were not sure what that one was trying to tell us). I’ve sharpened countless pencil crayons while the kids draw SanRio and Pokémon characters in their notebooks – they are not going to know what has hit them when we get to ‘Character Street’ in Tokyo…

Dinner was an array of yakitori skewers from a small restaurant near us called Aida. Everything was delicious – I don’t think I’ve ever had beef so tasty nor shishitos so spicy! The staff loved the kids and everyone in the place, including the other patrons, cheerfully bade us goodbye when we left. The kids are loving Japan so far and we’re impressed with the foods they’re trying, the Japanese words they’re using, and their grit dealing with the jet lag and the heat.

More soon,
Caley

The big draw at the Osaka Aquarium is the whale shark in a huge central tank, and it was beautiful, but we also loved seeing the leopard, eagle, sting, devil, and manta rays that shared the tank. Manta rays are so huge and majestic! There were also a ton of smaller sharks in the central tank, and they tended to gather in cuddle puddles in the corners. Maybe cute? Their eyes are so strange looking!

I liked the layout of the aquarium because the walkway spiralled down around the main tank so at each different level, you could pay attention to different creatures depending on whether they liked to hang out closer to the surface or lower down in the water. There were also tanks all along the outside of the walkway, and we especially liked watching the penguins and the coatis, for whom it was feeding time. We rested our tired and very sore feet while enjoying a cold treat before heading home, where Sean whipped up a yummy beef stir-fry for dinner. Groceries are very cheap here, as are little healthy snacks from konbini (convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart… which are EVERYWHERE) that can stand in for a small meal in a pinch. It makes travelling with kids (and this lady-who-gets-hangry) a lot easier.

New shoes squarely on feet, we then walked towards the Umeda Sky Building and gazed up in awe at its architecture: two 40-storey towers joined by a circular observation platform at the top, and connected by transparent escalators criss-crossing the central open atrium space. We had read that Okonomiyaki Kiji was the place to go for lunch, and we found it tucked into Umeda Sky’s cool little underground food market which was designed to look like old Osaka, with tiny winding alleys and shopfronts that looked like they were from the early 20^th century. It was like walking through a movie set.

Unfortunately, Kiji was full, but – silver lining – we ended up getting delicious wagyu ramen from Ramen Kiraku instead. We then wandered through the beautiful little ‘Island Garden’ which is a pretty oasis in the centre of what is a crazy area of mostly sky-high buildings, and then we of course had to ride the floating glass escalators suspended 40 floors up in the air. We did some damage in the gift shop by way of postcards, Sanrio socks, and peach gummies, and then got on the train to the Dotonbori district. I really wanted to check out the Hozen-ji Buddhist temple, which was well worth the walk. It’s down a narrow alley full of quaint buildings and restaurants that seem like a step back in time, and the Temple’s main statue of Fudo Myoo is surrounded by ginger plants and covered head to toe in thick moss thanks to people throwing scoopfuls of water over it for good luck. Two sweet little cats, rows of hanging lanterns, and the solemnity of the ritual meant the Temple had a beautiful quiet calm to it, just off the loud city streets a short walk away.

Being in Dotonburi at dusk was fun – it was so busy and so full of flashing lights, neon logos, and every manner a food stall with competing (and often hilarious) 3D signs on their front façades – octopi waving their arms, babies eating tempura, angry chefs holding up sushi, etc. We saw (and of course took a picture with) the famous Glico man sign at Dotonburi Bridge and then headed into what was my favorite part of the evening: the amazing little Bar Route which was tucked down a side street and then along the lengthy hallway of a nondescript building. Inside, the tiny narrow space held six bar stools, a dark polished bar, a glittering wall of Japanese whiskies and other liquors, and the very talented bartender, who we came to know as Masato. He was so friendly, and he told us he was doing English lessons every morning on Duolingo. He showed the kids a little mechanical box that, when activated with a coin placed on top, opened a crack to show a tiny cat inside that peeked out and stole the coin with its paw. I enjoyed a delicious White Lady cocktail and Sean had a Negroni in a crystal glass that had Mount Fuji carved into the base of it. When the cold drink was poured in, the top of Mount Fuji turned ‘snowy’ with condensation; very neat!

Sunday rolled around and much to the kids’ dismay, I finally got my act together and got us ‘back to school’. A bit of backstory: I feel like we started out strong in January. I was receiving weekly emails from the kids’ teachers outlining what their classes had covered that week, so it was easy (at first) to structure five days’ worth of material for each child and spend a few hours each morning trying to cover it. However, some topics were more difficult than others and some resources got stale quite quickly. I found it immensely difficult trying to teach things that I just innately know (thanks to my wonderful teachers!) but couldn’t think how to explain properly to a 7- or 10-year-old. I also found it frustrating having to keep going over previous lessons when things would be forgotten. Long story short… we all came to loath those teaching sessions, and they were putting a damper on the trip overall. In the spring, Sean suggested we just stop (!) so we did, but I couldn’t NOT feel an outlandish amount of guilt and worry, daily, for not keeping up with it. So now we are back to it, but in a less structured way. My previous respect for teachers is now pure reverence, and I have NO idea how homeschooling parents do it.

Monday dawned much cooler, thank goodness, for our day in Arashiyama. Alighting from the train at Saga-Arashiyama station, we followed the hordes down narrow streets past street vendors selling all manner of treats: chestnut mont-blancs, sugared strawberries on a skewer, grape ice, yuzu-nade, and earl grey and berry slushies were just a few of the mouth-watering offerings we saw. We walked around the beautiful calm mossiness (it’s a word in my world) of the garden at the Tenryu-ji Zen Buddhist temple – winding pebble paths, huge azalea and hibiscus bushes, a gorgeous pond reflecting the black and white temple structure, and many people in full kimono dress. From that dreamy place, we stepped into the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It was also dreamy with its huge stalks of bamboo towering overhead, sunlight glinting through the electric green fronds… but the crowds took away some of the serenity. On top of which, the kids were in a bickering mood that day, so my chill from the garden abated a bit as the day wore on.

After the bamboo grove, we walked to the Katsura River – and it was like stepping into a Seurat painting; couples in little blue punter boats, families strolling along the small riverside promenade, pure white ibises standing stock-still on the weir, all against the lush green mountain backdrop. We crossed over the Togetsukyo Wooden Bridge to the Monkey Park and started the steep hike up to see the wild macaques. There was a little mama and baby pair who stole my heart – mama picking through baby’s fur to look for bugs while baby slumbered in the sun, baby clinging to mama’s chest while they both dozed in the shade; I couldn’t stop taking their picture. The kids, meanwhile, wanted their photos taken on a giant banana at the top of the hill in front of the sweeping city views. It was a cool experience.

After all the excitement, we had a delicious vegetarian meal at musubi café before making our way back through the riverfront park area, through the striking ‘kimono forest’ installation shimmering in the growing dusk, and back onto the train to take us back to our tatami home.

The last day of the week was spent puttering, writing, and getting organized (me) and playing at the games area of a nearby mall (Sean and kids). I’m super into the setup I have here: my bed / desk / chair / table is literally just my one futon, plus many pillows and a tiny ironing board that doubles as a lap desk. Very luxurious! The apartment came with a stack of pristine, unisex button-down nightgown / robes in soft white waffle fabric with navy piping and I am ALL about them. It all makes trying to keep on top of the blogging and schoolwork prep much cozier! Rounded off a solidly productive day with salad bowls from Root2 Labo down the street; no complaints!

Another day of the second week was dedicated to sake: we signed up for a 90-minute lesson and tasting with Kyoto Insider Sake Experience. The sake district is south of central Kyoto in an area called Fushimi (the second-largest sake production area in Japan), and we decided to walk the nearly two hours there, much to the kids’ chagrin. It was a very urban walk: past abandoned factory buildings and along train tracks and right by the quite-nondescript Nintendo HQ building, before heading into cute residential zones and past some nice canals. The few restaurants we had seen on the map along the way were closed, so lunch was a 7-eleven special (which is much better in Japan than it would be in Canada!). Kieran dropped half of his sandwich on the ground and Grace’s was full of wasabi mayo, but life goes on. We arrived early so we beat the heat with iced teas and coffees at a little Vietnamese café before heading to the meeting point.

The experience was excellent. We were part of a group of twelve (and yes, the kids were welcome; they got a basket of Japanese snacks instead of sake!) and our instructor, Mayo, was a certified sake sommelier. We learned that ‘sake’ just means ‘alcohol’ in Japanese, and true sake brewed in Japan is called nihonshu. We learned about the different percentages of rice polishing and how that affects the finished taste. I took copious notes like the good little scholar I am, and then we got to tasting seven different sakes twice – once alone and a second time with food pairings. It was incredible – from the fruity and very light Daiginjo to the fizzy, cloudy, yeasty-tasting Nigori. My favourites were a Junmai Ginjo from Yamadanishiki rice (Joyo Yamadanishiki 55) which was subtle, mellow, medium-weight and tasted like mellow peach and green apple, and the Eikun Junmai Namagenshu (nama = raw + genshu = undiluted) which tasted lush and fresh and verdant, like grass after rain. SO good.

I will be the first to say I have never enjoyed sake before, but I’ve never really given it a fair try – I think I’ve had it two or three times and those were probably with sub-par sake, so I had sort of written it off. This experience changed my mind on it, and I think I also have more appreciation now that I’ve taken my WSETs 1 and 2 in wine. A lot of what Mayo mentioned around fermentation and sugars and acids and yeasts were similar (or same!) so I have more understanding now, and thus more appreciation.

Having said all of that… now that I only drink alcohol a few times a month (that is a long story and could be the topic of a different blog post!) the sake hit me hard, so the following day was a lazy one. Nothing to report, lol.

We whiled away an afternoon watching ducks along the peaceful Kamo Riverfront (very soothing!), strolling along Zaimokucho (the tiny alley-like road of my dreams, edged in old houses and buildings converted into restaurants and bars), and poking into stores. The vintage / resale clothing and accessory game is strong here. I’ve browsed some amazing stores like Découverte, BuySell, and Ragtag. If only we weren’t backpacking… actually, probably a good thing we are backpacking otherwise I’d be coming home with an entire new wardrobe. Note to self, do more resale shopping back at home.

Our second week in Kyoto was rounded out with a sushi-making lesson (which I unfortunately missed due to not feeling well), a flat-bottomed boat trip down the Go River, a scrumptious lunch of clay pot-baked chicken and rice at Torisei, and miraculous ramen at Kyoto Ramen Laboratory.

Tomorrow we move from our cute little tatami apartment here to another one closer to the centre of town. Stay tuned for more Kyoto adventures!

Sunday dawned bright and Sean had a ticket to a local craft beer festival, so I took the kids for a day of fun starting at the Samurai Ninja Museum. Though we arrived ten minutes before our 1:30 tour time, they sent us away until 1:30. Of course, we then missed that by 30 seconds, so we had to wait for the already overcrowded 2 PM group. Annoying! The museum consists of four rooms of information and examples of Samurai swords, helmets, armour, and other historical artifacts. Then it was up a floor to try on Samurai costumes and chuck Ninja throwing stars at the wall, which was everyone’s favourite part. Thanks to our delayed tour, we then had to inhale a very quick lunch before our next reservation, which was at the mipig + café where one can sit and enjoy a hot or cold beverage amongst ‘micro pigs’.

Oh, the cuteness! We were escorted to one of the rooms where we were greeted by a set of pink piggie triplets, two bigger brother pigs, three tiny brown ones with chestnut stripes each only five months old, and a funny black pig name Bogo that liked to rest his chin on your foot and chew the air so you could feel his little gullet moving on your toes. The piggies were super cuddly and liked to come and snuggle right on our laps, with some even falling asleep there. They also liked to pile up on one another, and my personal pig-in-lap count was six at one point. We extended our time by another half hour but sadly, eventually had to leave our new friends. We headed to Takashimaya department store to ogle the coloured glassware, pounded metalware, and beautiful homewares, and to buy some pretty postcards. We stopped and ate soup dumplings next to a little stream near the main market street, and walked home to meet Sean – who was in high spirits, having met a very friendly couple who kept buying him beers!

Monday was a lazy day. I had no oomph and no desire to do anything. I am wondering if we booked too long in Kyoto, or is this just a phase? I’m missing home a lot and haven’t quite found my stride / routine here in Japan yet. Instead of doing anything out, we did laundry, and the kids played a funny game in the lobby which consists of popping bubbles on a huge wall-sized touch screen to release the anthropomorphic mushrooms trapped inside. Once released from their bubbles, the mushrooms shriek (in glee? in rage?) and fall to the ground where they shake their booties and dance around for a bit. Very entertaining.

To get a much-needed boost, we started the next day with coffee (and mango smoothies for the kids) at School Bus Coffee Bakers, which I had read about before we arrived in Kyoto and which is happily only a few minutes on foot from our apartment. We then strolled to the post office for postcard stamps before taking a picnic into the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. After a park play, we headed northwest to walk along Ichijo Street. The street is known for its Yokai, unique and creative models of monsters, which are stationed outside the different shops. We had fun monster-hunting and taking photos, but I also loved seeing the various small food purveyors along the route. I bought some shichimi togarashi, which is a delicious Japanese seven-spice blend of yuzu, ginger, red chilli, seaweed, black and white sesame, and sansho. I am obsessed; it is so good on everything.

We had dinner out at Wagyu Ramen Syomon, which we’d spotted that morning. We ordered the Matsusaka Wagyu Beef Ramen with shoyu broth; apparently Matsusaka is the very best wagyu?! Sean got the Chirashi seafood side (limited to just 10 orders a day!) while I got the “snow egg on rice” side, just for the name. It was hands down the best ramen we’ve ever had; I can’t describe the depth of flavour in the rich broth, the tenderness of the silky beef, the perfectly boiled egg, the tiny dice of purple onion, the thinnest crispy matchsticks of salty fried potato… you’ll have to travel to Kyoto to experience it yourself!

We decided to recreate the previous morning with really good coffee, this time at Hoo (complete with custard donuts for the kids) and enjoyed up in their chic concrete and reclaimed woodbeam loft. We then walked into town for my 1 PM appointment: I got a second piercing in my left earlobe so that once and for all, friends and family will know which side is my ‘good’ side for hearing (I’m fully deaf in my right ear). Three days on, this decision is already proving to be a success in noisy situations like cafés and walking along roads, as Kieran checks for the earring first before chattering away to me.

Post-pierce, I got a quick snack (my go-to here in Japan: a salt-boiled egg and two salmon onigiri) before meeting back up with the family for some errands; we had to shop for toothbrushes, socks, and other basics; very glamourous. We rounded the day off with a peruse through the very chic Kyoto BAL shopping centre which features a gorgeous home goods store called Madu where I wanted everything: textiles, linens, ceramics, vases, rugs, all sorts of beautiful things. Instead, we stocked up at MUJI – I love their little packages of snacks and treats (PSA: their apple cinnamon popcorn and craft cola gummies are to die for).

We ended week three with (a School Bus Coffee start and) a hike. We bussed north and walked up the cute little cobbled Ginkakujicho Street full of souvenir stands, sweets shops, cafés and craft stalls before turning left from the crowds to start the trek up Mount Daimonji. It was so nice to be back amongst leaves and trees and nature! The trail had a super steep first third (some of the sheerest parts with stairs) with a rewarding 180 view from the top of Kyoto and its surrounding lush green hills – very beautiful. Due to the incline, we were surprised to see a class of tiny children (maybe 4- and 5-year-olds?) up there. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and School Bus almond croissants at the top (food on hikes always taste 170% better, fact). Starting our way down, a very kind gentleman urgently warned us not to get lost even though we had a GPS map downloaded and an extra charger, and he even backtracked his route a bit to see us successfully on our way. We wanted to somehow let him know we’d made it out safely later that evening; he’d seemed so concerned! The second half of the hike brought us past a tiny pond with a big school of bright orange fish circling around in it, and huge spider webs overhead hosting big, spindly, yellow and black spiders. Not Grace’s favourite feature of the day. We skirted a peaceful, sun-drenched cemetery, saw a warning sign for an aggressive family of local monkeys, spied shrines way up in the rocky sides of cliffs, and came by a tiny pinpoint of a waterfall that was set up for ritual bathing. Our path ended at Nanzen-ji Temple which has a very Romanesque-looking arched aqueduct, very strange-seeming given the surrounding architecture! After a drink stop, and much to the kids’ disappointment, we walked the 50 minutes home via a zoo (which we smelled before we saw it) and along a canal in the waning heat of the day.

Overall, as mentioned, I’m struggling a bit this week with motivation. It may be because we’ve been here in Kyoto for a while now and the kids aren’t interested in seeing ‘just one more’ temple. It may be because I’ve fallen out of a good routine, particularly with workouts, and need something to jumpstart that energy. I’ve been stressing about the kids re-entering the school system back home and hoping they are where they need to be with fundamentals like reading, writing, spelling and math; I know that is weighing heavily on me. I dearly miss friends and family back home, and socializing with them in ways that are different than the ways I socialize with Sean and the kids. And finally, I’m doing a lot of soul-searching about what I want life to look like after this year is over (which seems, at this point, both still far away and like it will be here in the blink of an eye). There are certain elements of this year I want to incorporate into life back at home, and certain parts of our previous life that I don’t wish to continue with. It feels heavy trying to engineer all these decisions… and perhaps I should plan with some intention, but then let go and see what the future holds as well. I’m not very good at giving up control! So we will see what the next few months bring.

And with that, our month in Kyoto came to a close. While we had a lot of fun in Kyoto and now have a lot of wonderful memories, I also really struggled with my mental health during our time there. Having had a few days now to reflect, I think that 1) a month was too long, and 2) it’s hard returning to a place that you have SUCH fond memories of, 15+ years later and in a very different life situation, and 3) I don’t do well in a big city for more than a couple of weeks. We’re now in Fujisawa, a smaller coastal town south of Tokyo, and within one day of being here I could feel my lungs and skin and my whole being just spring back to life being near the sea and in the fresh, salty wind. But more on that in a few days!

We spent an awesome day on Enoshima Island, starting with a lovely coffee at Sun Café. Fueled, we headed up the tiny main pedestrian road lined with shops and cafés to see Enoshima Shrine looming red and white up ahead. Then it was up many stairs to more shrines, stalls selling religious offerings, dragon fountains, gardens, a pond full of turtles, lookouts over the bay, and many huge, colourful spiders (later found out to be joro spiders – luckily, quite harmless). We continued up, up, up to a lunch of seafood fettuccini and softshell crab amongst the leafy views, and then past the flag-festooned dragon rock shrine, tiny little restaurants and stalls serving fresh seafood, and then down to the Chigogafuchi Abyss. The kids clambered around the wave-strewn rocks and then we headed along the striking curved red bridge to the Iwaya Caves.

The caves were formed by waves cutting deep into the rock and are now accessible because earthquake movement lifted the rock bed up above sea level. The entrance was filled with flickering votives placed on the rocks and reflected in a small stream; it was so beautiful. We each received a small candle in a holder to explore the first cave, which is over 150 m long. The narrow and low passage was lined with rock sculptures of Buddha, Kannon, Naga, and others. It is said that the first ‘finger’ of cave one leads to the base of Mt. Fuji via linked underground tunnels, and the second ‘finger’ is the original shrine of Enoshima, from the year 552 (!). The second cave, just around the coast from the first, was hung with votives hanging from the ceiling (very moody) and had a sculpture of a dragon at the end (a five-headed dragon falling in love with an Enoshima maiden is one of the main legends of the island). We exited the caves to admire the stunning views over the rocks and out to sea. Then it was back along the red bridge and up, up, up to ring the Dragon Love Bell (for immortal love) and alllllll the way back down all the stairs to our bikes. That is when Grace realized she’d left her beloved silk fan at the restaurant, so she and Sean headed back up while Kieran and I said hello to an adorable Shiba Inu and its owner.

Because we hadn’t had enough of our bikes for one week, we also rode to Usagi-Yama (Rabbit Mountain) one day, fueled by frosty acai bowls at Kua Aina. There we found a community garden and huge scarecrows, a delightful raised boardwalk through the marshy forest, the weirdest huge flying bugs with hummingbird ‘beaks’ dipping into the tiny purple orchids, and more large joro spiders in even larger webs. To reward ourselves for our spider-bravery, we stopped by California General Store on the way home for brownie bites (Kieran and me), kiwi sorbet (Grace) and a beer (Sean), followed by a date night dinner at Barchetta – excellent cotto and prosciutto, an octopus crudo salad, mushroom risotto, and garlicy whitefish pizza served with spicy chili oil. Many people make fun of me for eating my pizza with a fork and knife, but this was my first time eating pizza with chopsticks! The restaurant was run by the sweetest woman and the food was so, so good. Definitely a high recommendation. Such a nice evening.

More to come on our time in Fujisawa! We’re loving the relaxed pace of life here, the beautiful coastline, being near the ocean, and biking everywhere.

The Ofuna Botanical Garden has over 3000 taxa of flowers, 370 of which are unique rose varieties. I had read that November is prime rose-viewing season, and the blooms did not disappoint. But before we got to the ‘rosery’, we started off our visit with a little trick or treating for the kids at the information station (an added bonus, as we had told them there likely wouldn’t be any Halloween this year) and photos at cute pumpkin / witch / ghost stations. We strolled along a lovely pond ringed with pretty cosmos, and down paths winding through leafy trees. We ogled gorgeous bonsai and huge Japanese chrysanthemums which were being judged in a competition. I took over a hundred photos of roses – I abstained from posting them all on Instagram; you’re welcome. We also loved the green house full of hibiscus, palms, mounted staghorn ferns, orchids, lilies and Venus fly traps (which I’d never seen live before). Then we walked back to the monorail station in the dying light, with dusk over the river making the Kannon up on the hill look so pretty. Back on Subana-dori main street, we enjoyed some incredible fried yam chips from a street vendor and wound our way through many tiny trick or treaters. The mainly-pedestrian street was packed and all the businesses up and down were handing out candy and snacks, so the kids got to trick or treat after all.

November 1 dawned early as I woke to catch the 8:21 Enoden train to a cello concert back at Houan Kitakamakura (another lucky break getting in – there were only fifteen spots, and I emailed just two days before thinking I wouldn’t get a seat). Upon arrival, I joined the intimate setup of small chairs in the main tatami tea house room where we’d enjoyed matcha just days before. The cellist, Christopher Gibson, was born and educated in the USA but now lives in Kamakura. As he started to play, the cello’s rich notes filled the small space and reverberated up through the floor, felt with our socked feet. They were soul-touching sounds, complemented by the faint trickle of fountains and birdsong outside. A few times between songs, Christopher read poetry (some by his father) to complement and introduce the works. After the first half hour of music, we were served matcha tea and the most special cello-themed Japanese sweet by Kuu. After tea, Christopher set up in the tiny Musoan tearoom, its moon window wall was opened, and we all stood in the weak fall sun amongst turning leaves as his music poured out of the structure and into the garden. So magical, no words. The concert completed back in the main tea house with numbers mostly from Bach’s 6^th suite for cello. I loved every second of it.

On cloud nine after the concert, I picked up a quick iced coffee and a snack, and took two trains to Yuigahama Station to meet Sean and the kids for a lesson in making traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi) with Yuko. She met us at the station and took us to her lovely apartment where we made two kinds of chestnut sweets, a pleated round sweet, and a dorayaki pancake, plus frothy matcha. Yuko was so lovely and funny; we had a great time with her. Full from all the treats, Sean made a late and light dinner of sushi, and we turned our thoughts to packing.

Our two weeks in Fujisawa were a beautiful respite from the larger cities we’d been exploring since mid-September. We adored biking up and down the coast and coming home to our cozy little rental each evening. We loved seeing surfers everywhere, cycling through the town with surfboards hooked to the sides of their bikes and hanging out in the waves waiting to catch a good one into shore. We enjoyed exploring nearby areas like Ofuna, Kamakura, and Enoshima Island. And, we loved the friendly people, the sun over the water, the canal-side paths, and the great food and coffee we enjoyed. Fujisawa felt like a home away from home; we’ll miss the “Shonan life” that we experienced during our lovely time near the beach.

I spent a day in Nara many years ago, when Sean and I were in Osaka on the Pacific Grace. There’s always a fear that returning to a place where you have wonderful memories won’t quite live up, but luckily Nara was just as charming (actually, even more so) with my family.

We live in Oak Bay, so we are no strangers to deer. In fact, we have a ‘pet’ deer who we’ve named Matilda who is always hanging out in our back yard. Oak Bay has a deer-tagging program and Matilda has big orange ‘earrings’ with a number on them, so we always know it is her. Even so… being in Nara was so lovely and so much fun for the kids (and the adults)!

We started our day with the 10:05 Kintetsu train and got to the station early enough to grab a coffee before boarding. Our first stop was going to be Isuien Garden, and as we walked there, we were already strolling down boulevards full of all manner of deer, from cute little spotted babies to big shaggy bucks. Various vendors sell little packs of deer crackers, and I guess the deer know that right outside the main station is a good place to hang out, as people emerge into the town and want to feed the deer right away. We headed to the garden after many, many photos to find it was closed for a few weeks, so on we walked to Todai-ji Temple.

We had read that some of the deer have learned to bow their heads if you bow at them, which of course was the most adorable thing ever and which we were doing all day long. We took pictures of the many deer lounging in the canals and ponds to cool off. We saw the tiniest fawn towards the end of the day, and all had a little pat of its soft head. Sean had an empty wrapper in his pocket and ended up getting butted from behind by a buck with antlers – and it left a mark! The kids thought it was hilarious.

At the end of the day, we tried to see Kofuku-ji Temple (which was under scaffolding) and watch mochi-pounding at Nakatanidou (but they were done for the day). Oh well. We boarded the express train home (where we think Grace left her cute DJ-ing Hello Kitty ballcap from Singapore ☹) and once home, a cool shower had never felt so good.