Nara is my favorite place in all of Japan. Nara is a place in Kyoto. There are restaurants, shops, and many other things just like any other normal city. However, there is one thing that sets Nara apart from other places in Japan. Wild deer live in the public parks in Nara. These deer are very tame and will allow you pet them. They have been trained to recognize their food comes from humans, and humans are friendly. You can buy a pack of 6 rice crackers for them (made specially with nutrients and ingredients deer like and need for a healthy diet) for only 150 yen. That's less than $1.50 with the current inflation rates taken into account.
Nara also has temples and a museum. There are gift shops everywhere where you can buy deer-themed everything. Deer plushies, deer wallets, deer post cards, deer washitsu (folding fans), deer keychains, deer everything. Nara has 7 temples, but I only went to one. The most popular temple in Nara is called Todai-ji. Todai-ji means the “Great Eastern Temple” and it’s one of Japan’s most significant temples.
When I went to Nara, I was so excited. I had heard about the deer before coming to Japan, and it's the place I was looking forward to going the most. The Nara deer were so friendly, however there was one buck that was very aggressive. He would use his horns to try to hit you or your hand to knock the food you were holding to the ground. He followed one person from our group all around, and even ate food right out of his lap. It was absolutely hilarious because we took pictures while this was happening. One of the pictures that was taken looks rather questionable, and it became an inside joke between us the whole trip.
I was amazed at how the deer were so calm with humans. Many people were petting the deer. Some deer sleeping close to the sidewalk were surrounded by people petting them and they hardly stirred. The deer were curious and came up to any new people. Since Nara is a popular tourist destination, there are hundreds of new people every day. Someone who hadn't been to Nara before squealed as the deer surrounded him and pushed at each other for the food he had. Many people laughed, and I was amazed. There was so much respect and trust between the deer and the people: people allowed the deer to come close too. Small children squealed as they chased the deer in packs. Slightly alarmed, the deer would trot (or run, if needed) away before the kids got too close. Parents of the children watched calmly from behind a loose wooden fence created more for an appearance of a barrier than a functional one. People all around were taking pictures of the deer, posing and quickly snapping pictures before the deer moved away or blurred the shot.
The trip to Nara was the first time I've ever touched a deer, let alone take selfies with one. The deer had very coarse fur. Each strand of hair was thick and long, so thick it was hard to bend the strands compared to normal hair. Their eyes were big and glassy, and they had long eyelashes that reminded me of cow's' eyes. Their long snouts ended in a cute purple nose, and they moved toward us eagerly awaiting food. Their hooves were dark black and layered, and their coarse fur covered their legs only to stop at the hooves. Their bushy white tails flicked back and forth as they lightly scratched the sandy ground with their hooves. Their ears twitched away flies in the Japanese summer heat. I was surprised with how big they were. I'd only seen deer from a distance as they darted in and out of woods on the side of the road. Their wide torsos expanded as they snorted expectantly for more food. They were powerful and graceful. As I watched an albino stag delicately rise from the ground and proudly parade into the sunlight, I understood why deer were sometimes revered as gods.
Nara also has temples and a museum. There are gift shops everywhere where you can buy deer-themed everything. Deer plushies, deer wallets, deer post cards, deer washitsu (folding fans), deer keychains, deer everything. Nara has 7 temples, but I only went to one. The most popular temple in Nara is called Todai-ji. Todai-ji means the “Great Eastern Temple” and it’s one of Japan’s most significant temples.
When I went to Nara, I was so excited. I had heard about the deer before coming to Japan, and it's the place I was looking forward to going the most. The Nara deer were so friendly, however there was one buck that was very aggressive. He would use his horns to try to hit you or your hand to knock the food you were holding to the ground. He followed one person from our group all around, and even ate food right out of his lap. It was absolutely hilarious because we took pictures while this was happening. One of the pictures that was taken looks rather questionable, and it became an inside joke between us the whole trip.
I was amazed at how the deer were so calm with humans. Many people were petting the deer. Some deer sleeping close to the sidewalk were surrounded by people petting them and they hardly stirred. The deer were curious and came up to any new people. Since Nara is a popular tourist destination, there are hundreds of new people every day. Someone who hadn't been to Nara before squealed as the deer surrounded him and pushed at each other for the food he had. Many people laughed, and I was amazed. There was so much respect and trust between the deer and the people: people allowed the deer to come close too. Small children squealed as they chased the deer in packs. Slightly alarmed, the deer would trot (or run, if needed) away before the kids got too close. Parents of the children watched calmly from behind a loose wooden fence created more for an appearance of a barrier than a functional one. People all around were taking pictures of the deer, posing and quickly snapping pictures before the deer moved away or blurred the shot.
The trip to Nara was the first time I've ever touched a deer, let alone take selfies with one. The deer had very coarse fur. Each strand of hair was thick and long, so thick it was hard to bend the strands compared to normal hair. Their eyes were big and glassy, and they had long eyelashes that reminded me of cow's' eyes. Their long snouts ended in a cute purple nose, and they moved toward us eagerly awaiting food. Their hooves were dark black and layered, and their coarse fur covered their legs only to stop at the hooves. Their bushy white tails flicked back and forth as they lightly scratched the sandy ground with their hooves. Their ears twitched away flies in the Japanese summer heat. I was surprised with how big they were. I'd only seen deer from a distance as they darted in and out of woods on the side of the road. Their wide torsos expanded as they snorted expectantly for more food. They were powerful and graceful. As I watched an albino stag delicately rise from the ground and proudly parade into the sunlight, I understood why deer were sometimes revered as gods.
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