Japan's ancient capital, abandoned for nearby Kyoto when the nation's rulers felt the city had become overrun by buddhist temples - many still extant - is far larger and more challenging to traverse than its successor. We had visited in 2010, the 1300th anniversary of its founding, but were unable to visit one of its most compelling sites, Todaiji, which is not only one of the largest wooden structures of its kind, but home to a giant seated buddha that dates back many hundreds of years.