Compared to Kyoto, in spite of its so many historical heritages,
Nara had never been necessarily a popular, conspicuous city for sightseers.
However, these years, it seems that the situation gradually began to change.
The old city of Nara, has been getting noticed in this recent tide of
"New Discover Japan" like movement among young people,
seeking for a quality of life away from the busy urban lives.
Looking into one of narrow streets there, you can find a lot of renovated cafe
and small stores selling both traditional commodities and works made by young artists,
crowded with young girls or couples.
Though, if you only step into byway from the main street and carefully peer out into it,
the town starts to look a bit different.
a lot of public baths, almost ruin-like arcades (surprisingly, they are still opening!),
and other so many weird, peculiar, some even a little creepy.., stores/places around.
I appreciate these historical places or tourists attractions in Nara are
so ambiguously but closely together with vivid lives of locals,
(and of course deer too! they make the city even much more chaotic and intriguing).
I, from the bottom of my heart, wish that this town never gets "purified", or cleansed
because of this recent popularity for tourists and the retarded hype for world heritage site.
