Thanks a lot, Buddha.

After our dramatic entrance into Kyoto (racing through the rail stations), Rachael, Samia and I decided to take a day-trip to Nara, a quiet, historic town about 45 minutes away. Nara has a couple of claims to fame: 1) it is home to the country’s largest Buddha; and 2) hoards of "sacred" deer roam freely throughout the city. With that kind of intrigue, who could resist?

Let’s address the deer first. Initially, they were adorable. I even walked up to pet some of them, despite being a little freaked out by the cleanliness of that venture.

After being goosed a few times, though, and having more than one of them chasing my bag of snacks (my cherished bag of snacks, I might add), I was ready to wrestle these crazy deer to the ground. Funny...since I then saw a postcard where men in some type of traditional Japanese costumes appeared to be doing just that (yes, I bought it, and John was the lucky recipient). In reality, the postcard was depicting some type of antler-removing ceremony, but I was happier to think that the deer were simply being wrestled out of spite at their goosing and snack-stealing. :)

Much like the deer, the Buddha was initially heartwarming. In fact, I was literally awestuck at it's greatness inside of the temple; the moment that we stepped inside was yet another in a series of surreal moments that have come to define my time in Japan.

We wandered around the temple for a while, admiring all of the symbols and statues, then picked up our fortunes as we were leaving. That's when things took a turn south. :) Here's what the great Buddha has forecast for Rachel's life:
"You will become happy later, although you will face hardships in the beginning. You will get well, although it may take some time. You may have to overcome some obstacles. The person whom you wait for will come late. A thing you have lost will be found after you have given up." Uh...ok. Sounds super. Thanks for that bit of cheer, Buddha. :)