Todai-ji
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Monuments Of Ancient Nara (1998); The Great Buddha And Daibutsuden Are National Treasures · Nara, Nara
The great temple of Nara, founded by Emperor Shomu in the eighth century as the head of a network of provincial temples, and home to the Daibutsu, a bronze Buddha about fifteen metres tall, one of the largest in the world. The statue was consecrated in 752 and has been repaired and recast many times after fires and earthquakes. It sits inside the Daibutsuden, the Great Buddha Hall, which was long the largest wooden building in the world, although the present hall, rebuilt in 1709, is about a third smaller than the original. The approach runs through the Nandaimon, the Great South Gate, guarded by two huge wooden temple guardians carved in 1203. Inside the hall, one of the wooden pillars has a hole said to be the size of the Buddha's nostril; squeezing through it is said to bring enlightenment, and children do it happily. Up the hill, the Nigatsu-do hall has a wooden balcony with views across Nara, and hosts the fire ritual of Omizutori each March. The temple lies in Nara Park among the tame deer, and is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.
406-1 Zoshicho, Nara, Nara, 630-8587, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the Great Buddha Hall opens daily from early morning, around 7:30 or 8 am, to late afternoon, around 5 or 5:30 pm, with longer hours in the warmer months and shorter in winter; the museum keeps similar hours and may close for exhibition changes. The Nigatsu-do grounds are open longer. Traps: the Omizutori nights in March pack the hillside; last trains back to Kyoto and Osaka are around midnight but limited expresses stop earlier. Confirm times before relying on them.