Nara Deer Park

After a 1.5 hour ride from Kyoto to Nara, we got out out of the JR station and along with deer crossing signs, we saw deer already on the streets after two minutes of walking! A very short post, but keep reading for mainly cute pictures of deer, and tips on how to deal with the aggressive ones that want your crackers!

I would suggest going in more before you get any crackers; once you start feeding them, more come over and the only way to get rid of them is if someone else comes and feeds them. Another trick is to put the crackers on the floor and RUN the opposite direction (some will still follow you though)!!

Deer crackers cost 150 yen ($1.50).

Left: Deer catching the attention of everyone by standing higher on the pagodas.

Despite their aggressiveness, they can be really cute and will bow to you if you bow to them! It also helps if you feed the younger deer; they are less aggressive and have less experience scaring the tourists into giving them crackers! We walked along the path towards the temple and afterwards checked out an area with blooming sakura before heading back to Kyoto.

Sara feeding the deer and bowing to them.

When one deer became three. PC: Sara Ma.

Deer in blooming sakura.

A very amusing sign.

Besides the deer park, Nara is also a beautiful city to explore. If we didn't have to rush to our next location, I would have easily stayed here for a day to deer watch and explore the local streets. Thanks for reading, and let me know in the comments below if you plan on going to Nara or have any other tips on how to deal with their love for crackers!

(To go back to the Kyoto blog, click here!)

XOXO,

Audey