It’s hard to talk about Nara without talking about the deers. Apart from the temples and shrines, Nara’s deers are probably one of the main reasons why people visit Japan. It definitely was one of our main reasons, apart from experiencing the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri…
Most of the deers can be found roaming freely around Nara Park (奈良公園). They are gorgeous for close-ups, so make sure you bring your good camera out! ;)
They are also pretty tame, although they get aggressive when they see food (you can buy deer crackers around the park to feed them). We saw a little kid running away, being chased by a deer because he was half-heartedly feeding it. Yabai!
Nara Park is also home to many of Nara’s popular temples and shrines, and also a museum. But for now, let’s admire the beauty of these deers among nature…
Such photogenic deers, don’t you think!?
We walked around the park and decided to visit the Kasuga Taisha Shinen Manyo Botanical Garden, near where Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) shrine is located. There were also a few deers lurking around the area!
We stopped by at Ninaichaya (春日荷茶屋) to try traditional Japanese rice porridge (some might call it congee).
The congee was a lot watery than what we expected and the side dishes were really interesting. Probably a little too “traditional” for our liking, but it was worth the try. I heard that they have a different menu at various times of the year, depending on the local seasonal produce.
On a nice day, you could also choose to eat outside (at the back of the restaurant) and be one with the nature. However, it was a really cold day, and we decided to stay indoor.
After we were done with eating, we walked slowly toward Nara Park again, down the same path. And again, we were surprised by a deer. Gotta love these deers.
We went to Nara during the Kasuga Wakamiya On Matsuri, so there were plenty of festival stalls opened all the way from Nara Park to the station. It was an enjoyable walk back, people-watching and feeling festive.
Plenty of omiyage stalls selling cute trinkets and souvenirs related to Nara. I bought a cute Nara Shikamaru riding on a deer vanity chain. Shikamaru is my favourite character from Naruto, and even though he isn’t one of the main characters, you could probably guess why he would be featured here… His last name is Nara!
That wasn’t the only shopping I did. We also bought some snacks along the way, because we couldn’t resist yummy food!
These two have to be my favourite festival food: ame ringo (candied apple, or any other fruits… in this case, strawberry!) and kasutera (bite-sized fluffy cakes, basically).
So after all the eating, sightseeing, deer-sighting, festival-going… we took a train back from Nara Station.
But before I end this post, here’s one last picture of a very cute photogenic deer!
Visit Nara on a nice day and take a stroll along Nara-koen for as long as you like. Perfect for a lazy day out or if you’re on a budget, because deer-watching is free!