nara, day two

in the morning we took the train to Hasedera, another hillside temple. it was established in the year 686, and it features an ancient covered staircase with 399 steps leading up to the main hall.

somewhere around step #107, we started to feel the cumulative effects of two weeks of walking and biking, so we decided to reschedule the next item on the agenda (an 11-km hike) for the following day. we saw the end of a Buddhist ceremony - complete with throat-singing and a big bowl they struck like a bell - and enjoyed the view from the main hall's balcony before heading back to the train station.

we relaxed at our quiet country house for the afternoon, then went for a short evening walk along a trail near the house, which wound through some farms and rice paddies. a few farmers seemed to be finishing their work. we watched two girls help their amiable grandfather pack up, carrying stacks of bins into their little white pick-up truck; eventually he drove home along the narrow road, with the older girl running ahead and the younger one trailing along afterwards.

temple shiba inu

B for scale