If I could live anywhere in Japan, I would live in Nara. I loved, loved, loved it there and not just because we fed the cutest deers on the planet there. The city was simply beautiful and appealed to all my senses. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4101.html
I too spent some time in Japan, though never visited Nara. Strangely, in this photo it is the red lanterns and banner that strongly brought back memories for me.
Nara is a very special place, and one I have been to many, many times since childhood. There are countless temples, from the grand to the quiet, and a place worth visiting our and over.
@blueberry1222 -- a very HOT and HUMID time to be in Nara, and I hope you had some of that shaved ice! I was also last there in August 2016, and I indulged and hired a taxi (air conditioned) for a few hours to drive me around to different smaller temples I had not been to because I had only a day in Nara. I usually go with people who have not been to Nara so I end up accompanying them to the same places so this was a treat to see quieter temples.
@jyokota Weather-wise, it wasn't too bad, but I think that we just got lucky with overcast skies. The place we stayed at in Kyoto, however was a hotbox - no air conditioning. We slept on the floor without blankets.
