Have you visited Nara? While the deer are nearly always impressively tame and welcoming to visitors, the recent influx of travelers has put a strain on the tradition of the normally docile creatures. By the 1500s, thousands of deer roamed the city unchecked and revered. Required fields are marked *, https://www.travelcaffeine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nara-japan-deer-283.jpg, https://www.travelcaffeine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/logo.jpg. The deer often crowd the vendors, aware that they are the source of their beloved snacks. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all, Beyond Tokyo: 8 of Japan's best foodie destinations. The deer were absolutely fearless towards human. CNN Travel Contributor Joshua Mellin is a writer and photographer based in Chicago. They're complicated creatures too, and allowing them to perform for you without delivering the expected reward can cause confusion, and sometimes, anger and aggression. My grandfather and his brothers visited the same place in 1925 and we wanted to take pictures that matched theirs from when they were there and fed the deer. Not that deer really think about this that rationally, but I think the food is the only “justification” they need. Upon seeing the deer approach, a young boy got out of his carriage and bowed to them. The Shika deer — numbering over 1,000 — roam freely around the city and in and around Nara Park and are known to be somewhat […], […] Deer roaming around the temple in Nara Park […], Your email address will not be published. If I had kids, this is the type of publicity shot that would sell me on Nara. They deer were pretty gentle about it, but these guys are persistent. The coronavirus is affecting the health of Japan’s deer population at Nara Park. Actually, the ‘Nara Deer Park’ as it’s known is home to over 1,000 deer. Less than a minute later a bunch of adults came out of the woodwork and swarmed her. Here’s a little girl feeding a fawn. While this sentence hasn't been officially carried out since 1637, penalties remain. Overall, Nara is an awesome place, and I highly recommend visiting. Some get the deer sign-language better than others, which can become pushy when visitors begin to back away. Until the late 1600s, killing a deer in Nara was a capital offense, but it’s unclear whether the deer remain sacred now. Japan also has an idea which many Americans seem to think subversive: superb public transportation. This is very common behavior, and there are signs up warning visitors about the deer becoming aggressive if you have (or they suspect you have) food. My family visited Nara in May and really enjoyed the deer. I grew up in the Midwest, and we regularly had deer in our yard, so it’s not as if deer are a novelty to me. The city of Nara in Nara prefecture is famous for its free-roaming deer population, who’ve been known to cross at pedestrian crossings and bow to tourists in Nara Park in return for senbei rice crackers.. It was actually the first permanent capitol of Japan, and has a variety of shrines, temples, and ruins that are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Technically, these deer are “wild”, but they are only wild in the sense that there are no cages or fences keeping them in place. Even the local vending machines are adorned with deer-themed designs. When you wave "bye-bye," the deer wander off. Though they are considered messengers of the gods in the traditional Shinto religion, lately they've made, The deer, wild and out in the open in the park, have grown accustomed to being fed by tourists, most of whom, This news should not deter visitors, however, as a visit to Nara is a highlight of a trip to, You need only to abide by a few simple rules to enjoy a bite-free visit to the popular park. Posing stoically the deer seemed to have learned that offering themselves up for the perfect Instagram shot will earn them plenty of attention and rice treats. The younger deer and fawn were generally the friendliest of the bunch…. Nara, Japan is an excellent place to visit, and a big part of this is the wild deer that roam the city. We’ve stayed in the city a few times, and regularly do day trips from Kyoto via the JR Nara Line (read our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan for more on day trips and many other suggestions). Nara, Japan (CNN) — Just a 45-minute train ride south of Kyoto lies the famous Nara Park, home to over 1,000 sacred deer who have learned to bow for treats. They might be “just” deer, but there’s something about the whole experience that is really captivating. The deer are active at all hours of the day, looking for their next handout, but with few people around at night, most of them just rest on the ground. This is the look of disappointment when you’re a deer and you discover no crackers below a branch…. Todaiji Temple, the world's largest wooden structure and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located on the park grounds. Established in 1880, Nara Park is one of the oldest parks in Japan. I wanted to go to Japan before. Besides being one of the cultural hotspots of Japan that is often overlooked in favor of Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka, Nara is home to like, twenty-seven million deer. Nara is a stop for the famous “shin-kan-sen,” the bullet trains. There were still plenty of friendly ones, though. We hung out in and around Nara Deer Park for hours, just watching the deer interact with people. There’s also significant appeal in this not being a petting zoo, per se, with animals actually in captivity. After about 30 seconds, one of the deer became agitated that it wasn’t getting any crackers, and head-butted her in the rear.