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NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND.


NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

Ah, Nara. The ancient Japanese capital. A sacred/cultural ground, located about an hour from Osaka. A peaceful haven for the elderly to stroll…

Until these two cyber freaks came along.

NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

If you’re in Kansai, we urge you to make a day trip to Nara. As I wrote in my CNNGo article: “The cultural capital dazzles with six Buddhist temples, a Shinto shrine and the Imperial Place.”

NARA, JAPAN: photograph of blessing the ground, cute japanese boy with dog, A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

Nara gave me a chance to stretch my photography muscles. (Some of you have asked – which cameras do you use? These images were taken with a Sony DSL 700 with Minolta lenses. The others are with a Canon Powershot S90.)

traditional japanese food, cyber fashion boy purple hair, NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

How we suffer for high fashion! Yukiro endured the heat through a furry jacket and walked for hours in high-heeled purple knee boots.

NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

The path to Todaiji Temple had a festival atmosphere. Traditional food and colorful game stands. We ate takoyaki (octopus balls) and yuzu ice cream twice!

NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

Todaiji Temple is the largest wooden building in the world. Inside, we were in awe at the gilded Buddhas and fierce protector statues.

NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

Under the Bodhi tree.
Top: h.NAOTO Blood (I wear it in our Abandoned Curse B-movie)
Skirt: Algonquins
Purple lace tights: Very old…

NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

The secret gardens were closed, so we snuck in and surreptitiously took photos. We heard the caretaker’s approaching footsteps and ran!

orange hair, secret japanese zen garden, NARA, JAPAN: A TRIP TO THE ANCIENT JAPANESE CITY. TODAIJI TEMPLES, TRAVELLING TO SACRED BUDDHIST GROUND. Nara, Kansai, Japan. Ancient Japanese capital, temple, shrines, the Giant Buddha, nara hotels, Nara Park, restaurants, Kasuga, Takarazuka

Wait — what about the infamous sacred deer, the tame beasts that roam around Nara Park? Those photos are coming right up. You’ll die when you see how we incorporated them into a fashion-forward photoshoot…

Have you ever been to Nara, Japan? What were your favorite attractions?

Japanese Word of the Day: Onoono = Each
Song of the Day: Kazoku – Ukigumo (A superb song from a Visual Kei group that disbanded. Found this video on Lemon’s channel.)

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16 Comments

  1. Mel
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 7:18 pm | Permalink

    Oooh he kinda looks like xena in a weird way. i like it

  2. Sam
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 7:27 pm | Permalink

    <3

  3. Tomomi
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 7:45 pm | Permalink

    i think i’ve been to “NARA” when i was small..i was still in Japan. next to kyoto. kyoto is pretty , too. saw “geisha girls”

  4. Tomomi
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    also, my gran-ma was a teacher of “shamisen” to “geisha girls” before she met my gram-pa. she was kyoto beauty…xo

  5. Valeree
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

    *cringes at the inferred Buddhist iconoclasm*

  6. Glitch
    Posted September 10, 2010 at 10:33 pm | Permalink

    Shame on you for perverting poor Sento-kun. XD lol

    A little off topic, but it’s pretty cool that your a CNN journalist that gets to use the name La Carmina. Seems pretty cool to someone like me who also doesn’t want to use “given” names. :)

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 10, 2010 at 11:28 pm | Permalink

      haha yeah, only our minds are that dirty…

      Oh, interesting point! Part of it is because a) my editor is awesome, and b) I’ve published books as La Carmina and am known by this name in my work/public life. Since the name is more recognizable than my real one, it makes sense for CNN to use it. If you want to write under a nickname, I’d suggest using the name as much as possible, and try to get published under it :)

  7. Meagothystompy
    Posted September 11, 2010 at 1:06 am | Permalink

    Very cute! Yay for antlered Buddhist perverts!

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 11, 2010 at 1:07 am | Permalink

      hehe ;) Wait til you see the photos we took with the sacred deer… they weren’t so sacred afterwards!

  8. Mai
    Posted September 11, 2010 at 1:55 am | Permalink

    sooo cute! i wonder if i would fit into these dresses…

  9. Silkyworm
    Posted September 11, 2010 at 4:06 am | Permalink

    the last picture is the best! love your hair carmina.

  10. Yukiro Dravarious
    Posted September 11, 2010 at 4:45 am | Permalink

    ohh! scandalishous <3
    can't wait to see the FIERCE Deer photos :D

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 11, 2010 at 7:09 pm | Permalink

      The photos! Only we would do this to the Sacred deer mauaah

  11. Aron
    Posted September 11, 2010 at 7:19 pm | Permalink

    I haven’t been yet but I dream of going to Puroland…where Hello Kitty dreams come true!

  12. Francesca
    Posted August 5, 2011 at 7:04 am | Permalink

    Yukiro looks beautiful!!! I want to steal his beauty secrets! ;-P xxx

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