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Friday, November 25, 2011

Deer in Nara Koen Japan

This week's Japan Picture of the week is the famous deer which can be seen at Nara Koen in Japan. Nara Koen was created from wasteland in 1880 and is home to about 1200 deer. The deer in pre-Buddhist times were considered to be messengers of the gods, and today they enjoy the status of National Treasures. The deer roam the park and surrounding areas in search of keen tourists and a hand-out of food. You can buy shika-sembei (special biscuits) from vendors for 150 yen to feed to the deer.


This picture was taken on the approach to the famous Todai-ji temple’s Nandai-mon (gate), which you can read more about here.

Deer in Nara Koen Japan

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10 comments:

  1. JamaipaneseNovember 25, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    I visited Nara in September and recently made a post about the deer too :D. Cute but tricky little fellows.

    http://www.jamaipanese.com/nara-deer-japan/

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  2. linaNovember 25, 2011 at 11:49 PM

    If we have time, I'd love to go and visit. Hopefully, we can. ^^

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  3. AnonymousNovember 26, 2011 at 6:44 AM

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  4. Japan-AustraliaNovember 26, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    Thanks Jamaipanese, Nara is a beautiful place and the deer are a rare sight for an Aussie like myself :)

    Thanks Lina, I hope you have the time as it is such a beautiful place and a must see destination :)

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  5. rObfOsJanuary 29, 2012 at 8:41 AM

    We visited Nara in December 2011 for the first time. It is a beautiful place with so much to see and an easy train trip from Kyoto. We took some of our most spectacular photo's from this trip in Nara with the landscape, architecture and deer. The screaming Japanese schoolgirls made us giggle as they were accosted by the deer eager to get to the biscuits the girls were proffering.

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  6. Japan-AustraliaJanuary 29, 2012 at 9:32 AM

    Thanks rObfOs, Yes, it is a great day trip from Kyoto and most of the major sights can be seen in a day or two. The deer are so cool and cute, but can be a little scary especially if you have food in hand. What did you think of Todai-ji?

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  7. rObfOsJanuary 29, 2012 at 11:16 AM

    Oh Todai-ji was Todai-for (sorry, bad sense of humour!!).
    The carvings in the Nandai-mon are breathtaking in their size, age and craftsmanship as, of course, is the Daibutsu. I didn't attempt to gain a place in heaven by squeezing through the healing pillars (didn't want to get stuck after too many yummy noodles) but we did rub the Pindola statue (or as my daughter called him - "the scary dude") when we exited as our feet were aching and we hoped he might be able to help with a little healing. Will have to go back again as the rain stopped us exploring the grounds further.

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  8. Japan-AustraliaJanuary 29, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    Very nice rObfOs, sounds like you had a great time. We visited in the middle of summer and it was as hot as anything. Would love to go back again myself when it is a bit cooler and spend more time exploring the place :)

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  9. Muza-chanApril 30, 2014 at 3:50 PM

    So cute :)

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