RtG Japan Daily Dispatch - day00 - Flipbook - Page 38
18 September to
16 October 2025
Day 19 Nara to Kyoto (73km)
7 October 2025
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Bob Harrod and Dana Hradecká, 1974 Porsche 911
Tricia Field and Susan Godfrey, 1950 Bentley Special
Whilst today was short on mileage, it was packed
full of cultural interest and traditional Japanese
themes, offering the crews a deeper understanding
of the ancient country they were travelling through.
There wasn’t time to see everything but, when it was time
to leave, our route took us through the little-used alleyways
and traffic-free backstreets where tour buses fear to tread.
We were heading to the Obubu Tea plantation, to enjoy a light
lunch in a working tea “factory”. A Passage Control through
an enchanted forest led to the Bypass Regularity, at almost
800m it was the shortest we’ve ever run. Next, inexorably,
more tea gardens and another Regularity called Tea Timed.
At the final timing point we were slightly transfixed by some
incredibly advanced mechanised tea picking.
The night halt was only a few kilometres over tea-clad
hills and, as with our departure from Nara, our early
evening arrival at the Westin Miyako in Kyoto was an easy
one. This left the crews plenty of time to make plans for
tomorrow’s rest day.
Until the 7th Century Japan had no permanent capital,
which moved with the death of each emperor. However,
it was decreed in 646 that there should be a permanent
capital and Nara, then known as Heijō-kyō, was chosen in
710. Its lofty status lasted only 75 years, when an errant
priest seduced an empress and it was decided to move the
court away from Nara’s powerful clergy. Kyoto was chosen
as its replacement.
With such a rich history, Nara is a town worth exploring
and a whole morning had been set aside by the Organisers
for sightseeing and cultural activities around the eight
designated UNESCO World Heritage sites found here. These
include the Todai-ji Temple, one of the most iconic in the
country and home to the Great Buddha statue, one of the
largest wooden structures in the world.
As well as the temples, there were the famous Nara
deer to be found in the parkland surrounding some of the
most important historic sights. A large herd of sika mingle
freely with the tourists, safe in the knowledge that they’re
protected by the full force of the law.
www.rallytheglobe.com
