ActivityNara, Kansai, Japan
A Day in Nara with the Bowing Deer
Senbei, sacred deer and the world's largest bronze Buddha
Average rating 4.5 out of 5
4.54 reviews
Forty-five minutes from Osaka or Kyoto, Nara Park is home to more than a thousand free-roaming deer. Here is how to spend a gentle, crowd-dodging day among them.
Messengers of the gods
According to legend, a god rode into Nara on a white deer, and the city has protected its deer ever since. Around 1,300 of them live in and around Nara Park, wandering between temple gates, napping on lawns and lining up politely at the stalls that sell shika senbei, the rice crackers made for them.
Politely, at first. Hold up a cracker and many deer will bow, a habit learned from generations of visitors bowing to them. Hesitate and they will nibble your map, your sleeve or the back of your jacket. Show your empty hands when you are finished and most will drift away.
Arrive by nine. The deer are calmer, the light under the trees is soft and you can walk to Todai-ji before the coaches arrive. Spend the late morning at the temple, wander up through the stone lanterns to Kasuga Taisha, and keep the afternoon for Naramachi, the old merchant quarter, where the cafes serve kakigori in summer and warm warabi-mochi in winter.
Good manners with the deer
- Buy senbei from the official stalls only; human food makes deer ill
- Feed one cracker at a time and never tease
- Keep bags closed and paper out of reach
- Give mothers with fawns a wide berth in May and June
- In autumn the stags are rutting; admire them from a distance
Getting there
About this story
Saki SakuraAuthor
Sakura JourneysPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 4.5 out of 5
4 reviews- YSYuki Sato5 out of 5 stars7 Sept
Thoughtful, precise and full of small details, like which station exit to use. Brilliant.
- JOJames O'Connor5 out of 5 stars2 Aug
Every food recommendation was a hit, and the etiquette notes meant we never felt lost ordering.
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