The Great Buddha

This is at Todaji Temple in Nara park, about one hour by train from Kyoto. The park contains four UNESCO World Heritage sites, with origins dating back to about the 8th Century.
This temple is famous for the massive Vairocana statue popularly known as the "Daibutsu" or Great Buddha. The sheer size of the Buddha can be gauged from the two monks in front of the statue. The present Daibutsen Hall in which Buddah sits dates from 1709, when it was rebuilt to replace a predecessor that burnt down. It is an extraordinary structure and the largest wooden bulking in the world.
The surrounding park contains some 1200 deer, which are very tame and come to be hand-fed by visitors. According to legend, when Kasuga Taisha Shrine was founded as a family shrine for the Fujiwaras, a dominant 8th century clan, they invited a mighty god from the Kashima Shrine in Imbaraki prefecture. The god arrived, riding on a white deer, and since then the deer have been respected and protected as divine messengers by local people. Visitors feed them Shika Senbei (deer crackers) by hand, and can be rudely butted if they fail to do so!