Oh deer, that was fun!

Nara seems to be known primarily for two things -- the giant Buddha statue and deer. Lots of deer.

There are over 1,500 deer in Nara that just wander around the parks freely. Here are a few pictures of the deer ("shika" in Japanese) that we spotted outside the art museum...

This shot cracks me up because it looks like I'm sitting on the poor dear/deer. ^o^

Funny story: I put my bag down to snap some photos, and when I turned around, I found this hungry fella munching away on a pamphlet from out of my bag! It ended up eating the whole thing! That can't be healthy.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the world-famous "Nara Daibutsu." (Big Buddha of Nara)...

It was build in 752 A.D. and is about 15 meters tall. It's really an impressive sight, but I feel like this photo doesn't do it justice.

I have more pictures from our trip to the Kansai area -- pictures that don't involve kimonos or temples, but instead involve...

• Food -- Of course I have a couple of pictures of food to share!

The gals and I enjoyed tonkatsu (fried pork) at a restuarant near our hostel in Kyoto. In this photo, Jennifer is eating katsudon (fried pork and a egg over rice), one of my favorite Japanese foods ever! We loved this meal so much that we ended up going back to the same place for the same food.

Mmmm, ice cream! Yes, I had one for each hand. It was hot...and I like to have a balanced diet. :)

• Window shopping -- I often prefer taking pictures instead of making purchases.

I think these dolls are super cute. :)

A pitcher (!!) of parfait for 3,000 yen. (about $30!)

• Photo shoot time -- We had fun taking professional-looking pictures of each other. :)
  
  

Looks a bit senior photo-ish, heh?

Well, this concludes my little blog series about our trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. :) It was a good trip, and over a week later, I'm still missing my friends/roomies/travel companions!