Except for visits to a couple of zoos and menageries, my only “close encounter” with a deer was when I went to the Calauit Safari Park in Coron, Palawan some years back. And they were quite the elusive kind, too, because they were never within an arm’s reach, steering clear away from us. During my trip to Japan, we made it a point to spend a day in Nara, famous for its deer encounters. And I was NOT disappointed.
(By the way, if you’re wondering about that deer encounter in Calauit, you can check out my blog posts here and here.)
From Kyoto Station to Nara Station, our train ride took roughly 46 minutes. When we stepped out of the gates, we knew we were in Nara, if those deer installations were anything to go by.
As a brief background, Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, and it holds the distinction of being the first permanent capital of Japan, way back in the year 710, when Nara was still named Heijo.
As such, it is then expected that you will find key historic treasures and landmarks in this city, a fact that will not escape you even as you step out of the train station. The main points to check out are, after all, listed on the marker on the Exit.
It’s safe to say that you won’t need a map to navigate your way around Nara (for purposes of discussion, Nara will refer to the city, not the prefecture) although, of course, it’d help if you’re more comfortable with that. When you step out of the building, there is a large tourist sightseeing map, but there are direction markers or pointers as well to guide you to the right direction.
And the first place you’d come across after that brief walk from the station is the Nara Park. Which I also like to call the “Nara Deer Park”.
And, right off the bat, we spotted more than a couple of them, some strolling aimlessly on the sidewalk, and the others lazily idling behind the fence, as if enjoying the mid-morning air.
You won’t fail to see several mobile vendors of what turned out to be deer crackers. They are called “shika senbei”, literally translating to “deer crackers”. Or “biscuits”, depending on where you’re from.
Selling for 150 JPY, each bundle contains about a dozen of these thin crackers, and they are meant to be fed to the deer in the park, if you want them to come close to you. I think this is smart, as it also discourages tourists from feeding these deer with anything other than shika senbei.
In case you’re wondering, I tasted a crumb of the shika senbei and its tasted like… nothing. Not even sugar to make it sweet. The deer at Nara Park must be on a no-sugar diet, haha!
They weren’t kidding when they said the shika senbei are a sure come-on for the deer, because even if they are hidden deep in my pockets, the deer have the nose for it, and they just keep tailing me, hounding me, even.
Not that I minded. And they weren’t aggressive about it, either. They’d approach you, waiting for you to hold out your hand with the crackers in them. When you ran out of crackers, you need only hold up both hands, to show that they are empty, then they’d leave you behind. Sadly.
I was having a ball, feeding them the shika senbei that I had. They can be quite intimidating, especially the bigger ones. I felt a moment of panic when one of the bigger ones, with antlers, came forward, but the feeling immediately disappeared when I realized they were harmless.
Rog, my travel buddy, was not of the same mind, though, because she was a bit afraid of these gentle creatures. Note how far away she is, taking photos, as I was getting surrounded by the deer.
They were not aggressive. At least not those I encountered. Some can be quite forceful, pushing their head forward, but it was not any form of aggression. Just… hunger.
The photo below I would like to caption as the “deer looking for Rog”. It took her a bit of time to warm up to these four-legged creatures. At first, she was mostly keeping her distance, walking away when one or two is attempting to go toward her.
They are soooo beautiful. And gentle. It is clear that they are used to tourists, since they did not seem to mind that there are two-legged creatures invading their space. We can go up close to their faces to take photos and they don’t even bat an eyelash. (And what pretty eyelashes and eyes they have!)
I didn’t bother to count, but there must be hundreds of deer that morning, and they were spread out in the considerably spacious Nara Park. We haven’t even entered the park, just outside the fence, and we’ve already seen more deers than we have laid eyes on in our lifetime.
I find it fascinating, also, how these deer keep to this side, not crossing the road and risking life and limb on the relatively busy vehicular traffic. Must be their instinct telling them they are in their territory where they belong, and where they rule.
I love how some of the deer are responsive, coming up to you, as if in greeting. A couple of deer I also got into a bowing contest with. I bowed my head in greeting, and it bowed back. Those videos I took of these interactions are definitely something I tend to rewatch from time to time.
And look at those tippy-toes!
OK, I know they are hooves, but they just looked so regal and dainty I could not help but take a photo of them.
I bet they must hurt lots when they kick you, though. But that is not an experience I look forward to having any time soon, thank you very much.
Maybe since because the sun is out, the deer prefer to remain under the shade of the trees, instead of going around in the middle of the park.
Naturally, as we walked across the expanse of the park, we found lots of deer poo all over the place, like small dark pellets. The place smelled a bit of them too, but not too bad that it would turn you off. But the air circulation is not a problem, so neither is the smell.
Check out this deer. It must feel so heated that it positioned itself underneath the cooling spray built into the gutter of one of the roofed sheds at the edge of the park.
We could easily have spent more than a few hours just lounging around the Park, sitting there as the deer ambled aimlessly around us. And they are bound to come toward you, as if expecting that you have some shika senbei with you.
Hope springs eternal, I suppose.
After we’ve had our fill of deer interactions, we got up, brushed ourselves down, then walked toward the next destination: Todaiji Museum.
See ya in the next post.
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