#Kasuga-Taisha

The Kasuga-taisha is a Shinto shrine in Nara. It was built in the 8th century - according to a legend on 9 November 768. Right up until the end of the Edo period it was rebuilt every 20 years, just like tradition demanded.

The shrine is famous for its thousands of bronze and stone lanterns. Twice a year they get lit up during festivals, specifically for the Setsubun Mantoro (3 February) and Chūgen Mantoro (14 to 15 August).

The Kasuga-taisha is located in Nara Park. You can get to it from the JR Nara Station by bus or just by walking. If you’re checking out Nara Park, you’ll pretty much inevitably walk past the shrine. Entry costs 500¥. You can look around the outer part of the grounds for free.

Today we took the train to Nara and visited Tōdai-ji with the great Buddha. After that, we hurried past the Kasuga-taisha temple with its thousand lanterns. We would’ve loved to spend more time in Nara, but we had to be back in Kyōto on time for the next item on the programme, the “Geisha dances”.

What sounded like pure tourist folklore on the programme turned out to be a proper theatrical performance in a Kabuki theatre in Pontocho. Of course we didn’t understand a single word, but that just meant we could pay more attention to the costumes and the singing.

After the show, we got chatting with a Japanese guy who was probably wondering how a group of foreigners had managed to wander into the theatre. He explained to us that the play is really hard to understand even for Japanese people. It was the fifth act of an old 15-act play. A part of it is performed every year.

It was a really interesting experience. The music in particular - played and sung live by a small group of female musicians - sounded unusual to our westernised ears, but good.