Travel | Know Our Neighbor Neon Country-Part III

Nara-the spiritual hometown of the Japanese

Actually, I have a little obsession with going to Nara. Nara, the catchy name of Nara, made me feel good for no reason. Once obsessed with Miyazaki Hayao's "Princess Ghost", the beast with a deer body, a face and a bird's paw is said to be a reference to Nara sika deer.

Occasionally I saw an article by a China student living in Japan, saying that he loved Nara deeply in all cities in Japan. The reason for loving Nara deeply is that it is quiet and lush. It has been a deer for thousands of years, its historical precipitation and its cultural essence. Although it is right next to Kyoto, it is still not eclipsed in the face of such a famous ancient capital.

Nara is the capital of Nara era in Japan, and it is also a famous historical and cultural city with numerous world cultural heritages. The earliest Japanese literature appeared in the Nara era.

It's about 4 minutes' drive from Beijing, so it's not easy to enjoy the convenience while maintaining its tranquility. Nara belongs to the kind of city that I fall in love with at first sight. Take a look at JR, a small but still clean station, enthusiastic flight attendants and no bustling crowd. I feel a good breath from the sea of people.

Walking from the station to Nara Park, it is difficult to see large-scale buildings, small and regular streets, not too busy and concentrated businesses, and the air is filled with humidity. I bought a box of strawberries along the way. Strawberries are seasonal fruits of that season. They are small strawberries that are not much bigger than fingernails, and they are rich in sweetness, sourness and fragrance. It was drizzling all the way, and Nara immediately conquered me with a unique freshness and simplicity.

Nara is the place where Buddhism was first introduced to Japan, and sika deer is regarded as the mount and messenger of God. Nara people think sika deer is the master here. According to legend, sika deer have also thrived here for thousands of years, so it is more appropriate for people to domesticate them, but for them to domesticate humans.

Buddhism was introduced into Japan from Nara era and gradually became the national religion of Japan. It was not until the edo shogunate period that Christianity was slowly introduced to Japan. At that time, some women from aristocratic families believed in Christianity, and they used the support of nobles to promote the development of Christianity in Japan.

Japan was originally a closed-door country. In the shogunate era in the early 17th century, it is said that Wang Yangming's theory of mind was introduced to Japan from the Ming Dynasty, which is a typical example of "flowers in the wall and incense outside the wall". Wang Yangming's theory of mind, as a branch of Neo-Confucianism, was always excluded by mainstream scholars in the Ming Dynasty. I didn't get the honor I deserved until I died.

The reason is very simple. The mainstream literati in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty were all Zhu Xi school, and they entered the official career by reading four books and five classics and taking an examination of stereotyped writing. In their eyes, Wang Yangming's theory of "learning from things" is a heresy against Zhu Old Master Q. Therefore, his theory of mind was ignored in the Ming Dynasty, and even swept out of the house. Later, it spread to Japan, and the Japanese got the treasure. Some studies have pointed out that the Meiji Restoration, which greatly increased Japan's national strength, was a perfect practice under the guidance of Wang Yangming's mind, which made Japan quickly become an East Asian power and influenced Japan for 5 years.

sika deer can be seen everywhere in Nara Park, strolling or taking a nap. Sika deer is a kind of animal with aura. The deer in Nara have seen all kinds of world, and their IQ is even higher. Signs warning sika deer are erected everywhere. These "sacred animals" are not always gentle and lovely. They sometimes bite, push or kick people.

You can buy a kind of deer biscuit to feed them in the park, but it is generally of little use. The deer at the gate are fed by people from all over the world every day, not only full, but also tired of eating. It is difficult to impress this beautiful and noble animal with deer cakes. They usually look at you under those long eyelashes, and then stroll away without looking back.

People and animals get along very harmoniously here, and the deer take a nap by themselves, ignoring these tiny mortals. I also saw a naughty deer, probably tired of eating deer cake, stealing a magazine from a stroller parked on the side of the road, running away and preparing to eat it.

The famous Spring Festival Society is hidden in the mountains of Nara Park. It is said that when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in April, the pink clouds of cherry blossoms all over the mountains are at the top, making it one of the best places to enjoy cherry blossoms in Kansai and even Japan.

Spring Club is a famous building in Nara, and it has created an architectural style by itself because of its unique form. On every important festival day, men and women wear kimonos to worship at the Spring Festival Society, and the crowds are endless. Tradition and modernity merge here without any abrupt feeling.

Walking up the mountain road, I left the experienced and bold deer, and some shy deer came out of the Woods. Because these deer are inexperienced, they dare not get too close to people to ask for food, and they cherish food more. They often look at you from the stone lamps on both sides of the road. The ancient stone lamps that have been weathered by the wind and the sun, coupled with the lively deer, in the shade of the towering trees, I feel that time has stopped.

I have always thought that deer is an animal with too much spirituality, with its dark and agile eyes and long and light eyelashes. I don't know whether it is natural spirituality or the result of Japanese training. These deer will keep nodding and bowing when begging for food, and will bow again after feeding to show their gratitude. Gentle and lovely, the bow really has the charm of the Japanese.

There are many forests in Nara Mountain, but Japan's natural scenery is far from magnificent. Mountains are simple hills, and the excellence lies in the perfect integration of humanistic architecture and nature. The feeling of coming to Nara is even more obvious. No matter where an ancient building or an antique street or a shrine appears, there will be no sense of disobedience. There are not many traces of "fake monuments" in the ancient buildings shaded by green trees. Its perfect integration also embodies the perfect integration of religious spirit and Japanese society and life.

Compared with the magnificence of our mountains and rivers, Japan's natural scenery is more like a bonsai that has been carefully trimmed and maintained. It is just right to change the scenery and blend Zen with nature. A friend commented that the Japanese city of Pingan (Kyoto, heian period) is a beautiful "high imitation" compared with Chang 'an, the ancient capital of China, and it is by no means a poor cottage. In the process of imitation, Japan has also strengthened its unique culture and aesthetics, and then integrated into the exquisiteness of the Japanese ubiquitous "small focus", with its own style and innovation.

The price in Nara is slightly lower than that in Kyoto, and people are always smiling and very modest and enthusiastic. Japanese people in the service industry, whether you understand or not, must do their best to tell the welcome greeting from beginning to end. Nara is also rich in food. We had a very satisfying meal, including sushi rice, covered rice, udon noodles, yuzishao and other authentic foods.

Nara produces a lot of handmade crafts. I bought a set of porcelain, which is simple and elegant, and these two unimaginable opposing styles are integrated into one. Tourists can buy silks, tea, pottery, etc., but don't forget Nara's biggest specialty: all kinds of souvenirs of sika deer: cute dolls, all kinds of desserts printed with deer, and all kinds of handicrafts of deer ...

When you are tired, you can drink a cup of tea and eat some fruits with strong matcha fragrance to relax your body and mind.

Kyoto is called the spiritual home of the Japanese, and Nara is called the spiritual home. In Nara, you can completely relax your mind, slow down and calm down, and look forward to an encounter with sika deer in the deep Woods; The feeling of unhurried is still full of lingering charm after thousands of years.