Nothing quite prepares you for the scale of Tōdai-ji. You walk through the great Nandaimon gate, past two fierce wooden guardian kings carved in the thirteenth century by Unkei, Kaikei and their workshop, and there it is: the Daibutsuden, the Great Buddha Hall, for centuries the largest wooden building in the world, even though the current structure, rebuilt in the early eighteenth century, is smaller than the original. Inside sits the Daibutsu, a bronze Buddha some fifteen metres tall, commissioned by Emperor Shōmu and consecrated in 752 with a ceremony that drew monks from as far away as India. The temple is part of the UNESCO listing of Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.
One of the pillars in the hall has a hole at its base said to be the same size as the Buddha's nostril, and those who squeeze through are promised enlightenment, or at least good luck. Children wriggle through easily; adults sometimes need help. Up on the hillside behind the main hall, Nigatsu-dō hosts Omizutori every March, a ceremony in which monks swing huge flaming torches from the balcony, scattering sparks over the crowd below.
The temple stands in Nara Park, where more than a thousand deer roam freely, considered messengers of the gods. They bow to visitors in exchange for special crackers, and they can be pushy, so keep your maps and snacks out of reach. The park is busy with tour groups, school trips and families, especially in spring, when the cherry trees bloom, and autumn, when the maples turn red.
Riding in Nara is easy, but the centre gets congested, and parking for motorcycles is limited near the temples. Head east into the hills for more interesting roads: there are winding routes through the forest to the village of Yagyū, once home to a famous school of swordsmanship, and toward the tea fields in the uplands. Nara has fuel, food and accommodation everywhere. Try narazuke, vegetables pickled in sake lees, or a bowl of noodles with nyūmen, warm thin somen in broth, and take a break in a traditional tea house.