Nara, Japan is a truly special place. Not only does it have the spectacular 8th century Tōdai-ji temple, but also a large population of wild deer who live just a stone's throw away from the city centre.
Typically deer are a very timid animal who aren't too fond of human interaction, but the deer in Nara have become very much accustomed to people. Perhaps a little too accustomed as my friend found out...
The deer are very popular with both tourists and locals alike, and are considered a national treasure. There are even people in the park who sell "deer crackers". We had hours of fun feeding them.
Later we took a walk up the hillside to enjoy spectacular views over the city, where there were of course even more deer...
Legend has it that the area was visited by a god who was riding a white deer. Ever since then the deer have been considered sacred. Up until 1637 anyone who killed one of them would face capital punishment. Here is a perfectly timed photo of one of the deer eyeing up a cracker
Thanks for reading!
Fun times. I haven't been to Nara yet, but it's on the list. Maybe after a few more big posts on Steemit I'll be able to go!
I especially liked the photo from the hill. Most people just stick around the city and photograph the deer. The shot you took gives a nice perspective of the city with the deer in their formerly natural habitat.
Are you still in Japan?
For anyone interested in Japan Captaincanary commented on my post yesterday which brought me to his. https://steemit.com/travel/@rt395/travel-to-itoigawa-japan-the-jade-coast-and-japanese-benitoite
Haha yeh keep posting! Not sure the people selling deer crackers in the park accept Steem yet though...
Thanks, if you get the chance to visit Nara I would certainly recommend that walk up the hill, views are totally worth it. The deer up there are friendly too though not quite as confident as the ones in the city. This one walked right up to me though.
I'm not in Japan anymore, back home in the UK. Do you live there?
Ya, I live there in Hachioji and here in Southern California. Split my time between the two. Family is in Japan though. Wife has always wanted to take us to Nara, so it's on the list. Will take your advice and hike up the hills. Thanks.
Oh, and I tweeted your post out too.
Thanks a lot, must be a nice lifestyle split between those two places. I certainly can't imagine you get bored too often
It is and it isn't. It's tough being away from the wife and kids for 2 months at a time, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
haha, so they obviously got fed a lot to become so trusting! :D
Photos have stolen my heart 😌
Great blog post, should have much more views!
Lol'ed at the GIF, cheeky bastards!
Thanks! Yeh they were demanding little gits!
It's frustrating not to get more views but as a new user I can't expect too much from my posts, I've been using this for less than a week
One of the most beautiful animals in my opinion. Very lucky to have had this experience!
I agree, they are nice unless they get too greedy and hungry for crackers!
Man, it looks like you need to keep an eye on your fingers when feeding those little monsters. I like how they charged your friend and tried to take him down with Deer kicks to the shins!
Yeh absolutely. Their ancestors were considered sacred and they have spent their whole lives getting attention and being fed deer crackers all day. They have no sense of humility!
You have a new follower, what an amazing post you might want to consider sharing it on steem chat, fb groups or twitter to get more exposure. Have a great day
Thanks a lot for the advice man, I put quite a lot of effort into it and I was a little disappointed that nobody had seen it. What is Steem chat? Sorry I'm still new here!
Here is the link https://steemit.chat/home
If your on fb make sure to check search for the steemit groups for sharing links
Cheers, just signed up and posted. Still waiting to be accepted on fb
I love deer. Thanks for showing us deer from other parts of the world.
You're welcome!
so cute! I'll bet they eat everything in the gardens.
Yeh they are ravenous!
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Thank you for sharing these special pictures. Upvoted and following you!
Have a look at my post about an abandoned hotel in Mozambique https://steemit.com/steemitphotochallenge/@rbfromsa/abandoned-hotel-xai-xai-mozambique, I think you might like it.
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They are so cute!! I also saw a lot of deers in Miyajima in Hiroshima.
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Good job on the photos. They capture the unique experience of Nara park. Looking forward to seeing more posts from around Japan.
Oh my gosh, how cute!!! I will have to put this on my travel to do list.