JAPAN // The world is not short of statues of Buddha, but, if you're going to see just one, the Daibutsu of Nara has to be a top contender. Cocooned inside the Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall) at temple Tödai-ji, this image of the cosmic Buddha is one of the world's largest bronze figures, towering 15m (50ft) high and weighing some 500 tonnes. Its gracefully raised hand alone is the height of a person. Imagine the reverence this must have provoked when it was first unveiled in 752. Though parts of the statue have been recast over the centuries, it has lost none of its effect. The hall that houses the statue is necessarily immense, and is one of the world's largest wooden buildings (amazingly, only two-thirds of its original size). Towards the back you'll see a wooden column with a hole through its base. Popular belief maintains those who can squeeze through the hole, which is the same size as one of the Great Buddha's nostrils, are ensured of enlightenment - reason enough to pay a visit. Enlightenment secured, explore the leafy expanse of park Nara-köen, where the deer rule.