Sanjo-dori, a Serene Street in Nara

When get off at Nara Station, the Kintetsu Line connects directly to Sanjo-dori, the busiest street in Nara.
When we think of a busy street, we often imagine tall buildings and shopping complexes, but Nara’s bustling street is mostly filled with shops selling local specialties, bamboo crafts, and tea.

Since I arrived in Nara around lunchtime, I decided to have lunch first.
As I entered Sanjo-dori, I saw a Japanese curry specialty restaurant called Coco Ichibanya.

Upon entering the restaurant, there were no customers, as expected.
Even though the menu was written by Japanese, I wasn’t flustered and ordered the menu that looked the most delicious from the pictures.

Japanese curry is slightly different from Korean curry.
Korean curry tends to be a bit thicker, while Japanese curry has a tighter texture.

I had tried Japanese curry while working at a Japanese restaurant, so I knew its taste well.
Nowadays, I even buy Japanese curry from the grocery store in Korea and make it at home from time to time.

Sanjo-dori (Dori means ‘Street’ in Japanese)

After a satisfying lunch, I started walking along Sanjo-dori.
I thought there would be many people since it’s a tourist spot, but there weren’t many people, probably because it was Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to that, I could leisurely stroll and enjoy the street.

Nevertheless, the shopping area had people enjoying their holidays, shopping and relaxing.
Although I had seen long and bustling shopping streets in Osaka, I still felt a vibrant energy in the shopping area.

Nara Park, Sarusawa Pond

At the end of Sanjo-dori, there is a small pond, and beyond that is the famous Kofuku-ji Temple.
People were sitting by the pond, enjoying the view.

Dec. 13. 2009.