It's late-Autumn in Japan. The maximum daytime temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius in the main island, so, it's the best season for traveling. I visited Nara with my family for the first time in three years. Nara is the city where Japan's capital was located from 710 to 784. We fully enjoyed the autumn of this ancient capital.
To get to Nara, we took the Kintetsu line from Kyoto station. Our vehicle was the EMU 22000 series commissioned in 1992. It's the major model of the Kintetsu limited express fleet for the standard gauge (1,435 mm-wide gauge) track. Its egg-shaped frontal mask is cute and definitely my favorite. The 22000 series won the good design award from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 1993. Renovation of the bodies was then started in 2015. The body color was changed from a single color of orange to two-tone orange and white. The stripe was also changed from ultramarine to a gold color. Regarding the interior, seat cushions were replaced by the softer ones. Toilets were also replaced by new ones. Luggage racks were provided anew.
After arriving at Nara station, we firstly visited Todaiji-temple to see the Great Buddha, which is 15 meters high, and known as the largest gold and bronze Buddha in the world. It was originally completed in 752, and major repairs were conducted in the 12th and 16th centuries after civil wars and natural disasters. To my delight, visitors are allowed to take its photograph... it's very kind.
To be continued...
