A Slice of Ancient Japan: Naramachi

Day 5 in Nara: Deer Park - Todaiji Temple in Nara - Yoshikien Garden - Kofukuji Temple - NARAMACHI

One of the best ways to discover the ancient town of Nara is to walk through the narrow streets of Naramachi - the former merchant district of Nara - that helps you step back in time.

Lined with little cafes and stores, old buildings, merchant houses and ancient temples – the streets of Naramachi in Nara are filled with structures that have simply refused to change over the years. These are structures that reveal layers of ancient traditions, culture and history ardently preserved over ages for all the generations to come. It's a place that keeps it's promise of letting you peep into the past, by taking you along through alleys of time.

So let's discover the beauty brimming in the quietude, old worldliness and time-honored antiques by browsing through some pictures which I took while walking through Naramachi in the wonderful company of snowwhite and Redrose, the resident bloggers of Nara.

Walking Through Nara-Machi: A Photo Tour

Streets:

The streets, lined with houses and cafes

A house in Naramachi

Doors of ancient cafes and shops along the streets

Inside the shops: Lots of items like tea and apparel on sale

Symbols along the way:

1) Monkeys - A lot of these red stuffed monkeys, known as Migawari Saru or 'substitute monkeys' can be seen hanging at the entrances - of shops, cafes, houses and temples. A symbolic deity of a local temple (the Koshin-do Temple), they are good luck charms believed to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

Brightly colored red and white hanging monkeys (migawari-zaru)

commonly seen in Naramachi doorways.

Three monkeys at the entrance to a shrine

2) Besides... -

A symbol carved at the top of a house

The House, The Museum and The Temples:

1) Naramachi Koshi-no-ie or the Lattice House - Complete with rooms, ceiling, kitchen, inner garden, storage, etc., this traditional merchant house gives a fascinating glimpse of how life was back in the 18th century.

The entrance with a unique latticed door pattern

Inside the house: The tea room

The kitchen stove

(Note: Timings - 9:00-17:00; Closed: Monday (Open if Mon. is a national holiday); No Admission fee.)

2) Naramachi museum - This is Mushiko Mado literally translated as 'insect cage window' because of its special type of windows but what fascinated me more about it was this huge monkey, it was also the largest that I saw in Naramachi.

Mushiko Mado, the Naramachi museum

3) The Temples:

Entrance to the Gangoji Temple, a UNESCO World heritage site

Entrance to the Goryo Shrine - The deity of good matchmaking,
also the main deity of Naramachi. 

From here and there:

Plenty of wooded work all around to catch your eye

Dough being kneaded -- in style!

(Sweet rice ball after pounding mochi: Rice cake)

How to Reach:

Naramachi is about a ten minute walk south from Kinetsu Nara Station.

Previous Posts from the Japan Trip -

1. Planning for Japan: Visa, Flight Bookings, Hotel Reservations, etc.
2. Sunrise pictures from the flight to Japan
3. Entire Day 1 of Japan (includes Review of Hotel Villa Fontaine Roppongi, Tokyo, Expedia Japan Office Meet: An Afternoon to Remember)
4. Entire Day 2 of Japan (includes SensoJi temple: Asakusa - Tokyo, Nakamise Dori Shopping Arcade in Tokyo, Sumida River Cruise, Tokyo, A Stroll in the Hibiya Gardens, Imperial Palace and East Gardens, The Tokyo Tower, Japan)

5. Entire Day 3 of Japan (includes Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo, ISKCON Temple, Funabori in Tokyo, Epson Aquarium, Shinagawa in Tokyo

6. Entire Day 4 of Japan - Nara (includes Riding the Shinkansen: My ticket to Kyoto, Hello Nara (Planning and Welcome), Driving through Nara: An Introduction, Horyu-ji Temple, Tea Ceremony in Jiko-in Zen Temple)
7. Messengers of God: Deer in Nara Park

8. The Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple in Nara

9. A Walk in the Yoshikien Garden

10. Kofukuji Temple