Today we daytripped from Kyoto to Nara. Nara is known for the 1200 wild deer roaming the city freely. The deer are considered holy. Vendors sell deer biscuits to tourists to feed them. The deer have been conditioned to bow. The Japanese bow before giving them a biscuit, so they have learned to associate bowing with being fed! Some of the deer, mostly male deer, are particularly pushy and will use their horns (or nubs if the horns have been sawed off) to get more food.
We bought some deer biscuits and gave it a go. Even though some of the deer were abusive, we had a blast feeding them. Feeding the deer was our favorite part of visiting Nara.
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| The deer, particularly male deer, really are this pushy! |
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| Feeding the holy deer in Nara. |
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| Feeding the holy deer in Nara. |
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| Feeding the holy deer in Nara. |
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| Nara. There are over 1200 wild deer freely roaming the city. |
We didn't just see deer while we were in Nara. Nara is also known for several temples and shrines. Because of the New Year, the temples were abuzz with activity and full of people.
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| Lanterns near Kasuga Wakamiya Shrine in Nara. |
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| Kasuga Wakimiya |
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| Todai-ji Temple, Nara. |
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| Daibutsuden |
I was most impressed with Daibutsuden, famous for its enormous Daibutsu, or giant Buddha. We saw a couple of other large Buddha statues, but this one was by far the most substantial and incredible.
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| Daibutsuden |
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