Hilma

Where Hilma would send you

1. 1 Tōdai-ji Attraction Aug 30
   Tōdai-ji

   Inside, the Daibutsu-den (the Great Buddha Hall) claims to be the largest wooden building in the world, though what you notice first is not its size but its age — the columns dark with centuries of incense, the floor worn smooth by millions of feet.

2. 2 Basara Matsuri Event Aug 30
   Basara Matsuri

   Aug 29 – Aug 30 ended

   Street dance troupes in elaborate costumes — part samurai, part carnival, wholly joyful — began parading down Sanjō-dori from Tōdai-ji to Kasuga Taisha.

   Sanjō-dori
3. 3 Sanjō-dori Attraction Aug 30
   Sanjō-dori

   The festival started in 1999 with a desire to bring human brilliance to the quiet ancient capital.

4. 4 Kasuga Taisha Landmark Aug 30
   Kasuga Taisha

   Hundreds of bronze and stone lanterns line the approach, lit twice a year (Setsubun in February and the Lantern Festival in mid-August, just past).

5. 5 Nara National Museum Attraction Aug 30
   Nara National Museum

   Currently between major exhibitions (the Yoshino mountains show ended in June), but the permanent collection is excellent: Buddhist sculpture spanning a millennium.

6. 6 Kōfuku-ji Landmark Aug 30
   Kōfuku-ji

   A five-story pagoda (Japan's second tallest) and a treasure hall with the Ashura statue, one of Japanese Buddhism's most famous works of art.

7. 7 Isui-en Garden Attraction Aug 30
   Isui-en Garden

   A Meiji-era stroll garden with a teahouse overlooking a pond.

8. 8 Yoshiki-en Attraction Aug 30
   Yoshiki-en

   Three connected gardens next to Isui-en.