NARA

Even though Nara isn’t a city with a lot to do, we wanted to go there and spend a couple days relaxing. Nara is the former capital of Japan so there are several large shrines and temples, and what they are most famous for recently is their deer in Nara Park. Nara isn’t the most beautiful, so the park is a nice little oasis within a concrete city. To get to the park, we walked through the Main Street full of shops, restaurants, and other conveniences. There is one main road, Sanjo dori, and several other roads just off from it. Small walkways crowded with people looking to do a little shopping. Nara is definitely a touristy spot for Japanese and foreigners alike. You can tell by all the shops selling little deer trinkets, and advertising their English menus. When you first enter Nara park, you see the beautiful temples like Kofukuji Temple, before heading into the area where there are deer.

When you make your way into the park you think “oh, here are the deer” and you continue to walk, you continue to see more and more deer, and it never stops. There are so. many. deer. They have quite the personalities too. They know you have crackers and will stop at nothing to get them from you. They’ll nudge you in the arm and the butt until you give them what they want. They also know where to go to escape the crowds and have a but of solace. One thing I noticed was that some of them had their antlers chopped off. I learned that in a daily ritual, some of the deer with particularly large antlers are rounded up and they are sawed off in front of a crowd. Almost like a running with the bulls situation, except this doesn’t hurt the deer. They equate it to someone cutting off your fingernails. It’s still not the thing for me being the animal lover that I am, especially considering they only do it because the deer can harm visitors and not for the wellbeing of the deer.

While we were in Nara park, 3 Japanese women approached us for conversation, I thought they wanted us to sign a petition (DC Erin kicked into gear) because they all had name tags and notebooks, but all they wanted to do was talk so they could practice their English. They couldn’t have been nicer and were incredibly happy and proud that we had chosen to visit Japan and were thrilled with how much we loved it.

Our first meal in Nara was at a place called Surugamachi’s Okonomiyaki or as the owner advertises it “Japanese pizza”. The restaurant was a one woman show with the owner taking orders, cooking, and cashiering. While the restaurant only had 5 tables, it definitely kept her very busy. Each table has a hot griddle in the middle for your okonomiyaki to continue cooking while you eat. Okonomiyaki, derived from the phrase “however you like it” is made from a variety of ingredients, but most are made with cabbage and egg and you can add other things like meat, seafood, noodles, and cheese. It almost looks like an egg and cabbage pancake and it’s SO good. At times we have trouble managing the Japanese custom on finishing your entire plate (to not finish is considered rude), here we had no issues with that.

We found another amazing restaurant in Nara called Wakakusa Curry, a Japanese curry restaurant (who knew!). Curry is one of our favorite words in the world so we were quick to jump on this one. My favorite meal in Japan so far - so good we had it twice.

Looking back, I think we would have spent less time in Nara but we took advantage of the time to relax and regroup. We did a lot of sleeping and working, with daily walks around the city and left feeling refreshed and ready for more sightseeing during our last week in Japan.

KIBUNE/UGENTA

Our next stop was one we have both been looking forward to for some time. My dear friends Gray and Haj gifted us with a night at a hotel called UGENTA. Gray was my boss when I first moved to DC and worked at Georgetown. He and his husband Haj took me on as their surrogate sister, introducing me to the city and welcoming me into their lives like I was their family. They have had a huge impact on my life and continue to be two fo the most inspiring and incredible people I have ever met. So it was no surprise that their wedding gift to us was going to be something extraordinary. During their visit to japan several years ago they had an incredibly memorable stay at Ugenta just north of Kyoto and they gifted us a night here. Knowing them and their taste, we knew it was going to be a highlight.

We arrived at the Kokusaikaikan train station and were greeted by the hotel shuttle who then took us to Mt. Kurama for a hike up to Kurama-dera, a Buddhist temple at the summit. The hike is pretty cardio intensive, but there’s a cable car for those not interested in the physical aspect. All in all it took us about 2 hours and we saw some of the most gorgeous scenery we’ve ever experienced. Everything was lush and green, the trees towered over us, and small red flowers fell from the trees and landed in the creeks and rivers that flowed through the mountain. We eventually made it to the top and entered the temple after lighting incense and saving a prayer. The ornate temple would be a special place to come and pray every day, I would imagine. Outside of all temples there are small water basins with small water vessels in them. These are provided so you can cleanse prior to entering a temple area - you take the vessel and pour water on one hand then the other, then put water in your mouth before spitting out to cleanse.

After finishing the hike we were in Kibune town. A one-road street with restaurants and shops on one side, and a flowing river on the other - all surrounded by green. There were several restaurants that have actually built platforms atop the river so you can dine while sitting on top of the river. Definitely taking that idea home with us.

We made our way to Ugenta. We were instructed to remove our shoes upon arrival and put on the slippers they provided, then led to the 3rd floor where our room and the only other room in the hotel was located. When we walked into the room our jaws hit the floor. I can only describe it as perfect. A two-story suite with a sunken Japanese-style table, tatami mats on the floors, beds with no bed frames, a bathroom that was among the best I’ever ever seen - a shower with a balcony that looked out into the green hillside, and then we found our way upstairs to discover the true highlight - an outdoor terrace complete with an outdoor shower and hot tub, completely private and overlooking the hillside. We immediately go into the hot tub and listened to the river flowing through the town. We had officially reached peak relaxation mode.

After putting on our complimentary kimonos, our hostess began our 8 course meal with food ranging from sashimi to hot pots to tempura to vegetables. Each course was unique and beautifully displayed, the most beautiful perhaps being the grilled fish and beef plate. As if the meal weren’t enough for us, they then presented us with a honeymoon gift, small power beads from a local artisan. This hotel is a must for anyone staying in japan. It’s one of the most incredibly unique and authentic experiences either of us have ever had. We even looked to see if we could stay one more night, but given the Golden Week it was already fully booked.