[Japan] Nara Park

Nara Park was the first tourist spot we visited in Japan. We went there the day after we arrived. Over the years, many of my friends who traveled to Osaka would share photos of themselves interacting with and feeding deer at Nara Park. I've always been interested to go and I thought my family would like to go here too.

Nara Deer Park

Based on my research, I knew that we needed to travel from the Osaka-Namba station to the Kintetsu Nara Station. I also knew that there was a 35-minute rapid express train. However, I didn't know how to get tickets to the rapid express or how to check its schedule. As such, I decided to just purchase tickets from the machine even if it would take us longer to get to Nara. As it turned out, the train we got on WAS the rapid express! (Interestingly enough, on our way back from Nara to Osaka, we also got on the rapid express. I don't know if all trains from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu Nara and back are rapid express of if we just lucked out both times we took this route.)

Nara Park is known for having hundreds of free-roaming deer, which are believed to be messengers of the gods. As you walk around the city, you will actually see a lot of signs on the streets warning motorists of deer that may cross the road.

Visitors can feed the deer with special rice crackers that can be purchased from a multitude of kiosks scattered all over the park. One pack costs 200 yen and it contains 10 crackers. It was around noon when we arrived and the Japanese summer sun was blazing so most of the deer were laying in the shade. Most of them seemed to be full since initially, none of them seemed interested in eating the crackers we offered them. It didn't take too long though for us to find hungry deer that gobbled up all our crackers. We even ended up getting another pack.

Feeding the deer

If you are planning to go to Nara Park to feed the deer, I do have a few reminders. First, it smells like a zoo, which is completely understandable given the hundreds of deer here. Second, there is a lot of deer poop all over the park so you have to be careful. I actually stepped on some poop myself when I was moving back after feeding a deer. Thankfully, the poop stayed only on my shoe's rubber sole and didn't mess up the fabric part so I was able to clean it when I got back to the hotel. Finally, if you do plan to feed the deer, don't force them to eat the crackers you offer them. If the deer really wants to eat a cracker, they will eat it from your hand almost immediately. (If you also pay attention to their body language, you can kinda tell if they want to eat more.) My nephew and I would just offer a cracker and if after a couple of seconds, the deer doesn't eat it, we would leave it alone and look for another deer that might be hungry. However, I did see many tourists that insistently shoved their rice crackers into the faces of the deer even if the deer didn't seem interested. Please don't do that.

We started to get hungry and I read that there are restaurants inside the park but I couldn't quite figure out where they were. Thankfully, while walking, we stumbled upon a tea house inside the park. The tea house doesn't have chairs but it has these low "tables" with a tatami mat covering them. We sat by the edges of this table, which was what everyone else was doing. There were only a couple of Japanese sweets on the menu so we ordered both of them along with some cold tea. This was enough to temporarily fill out stomachs and give us energy to see more of the park. (I also have to say, the lady serving us was very friendly and hospitable.)

Tea and sweets at a traditional Japanese Tea House in Nara Park

As it was tremendously hot, we decided to just visit one more place: the Todai-ji Temple. I used google maps to help me figure out how to get there but I think it only brought me to the entrance of the temple complex. Thankfully, I found a park map that helped me figure out exactly where the temple was. To get there, we had to pass through the Nandaimon Gate.

Nandaimon Gate that leads to Todai-ji Temple

This large wooden gate is flanked by two large statues, both of which look very fearsome and intimidating.

One of two large statues that flank Nandaimon Gate

While entrance into Nara Park itself is free, you need to purchase a ticket to enter Todai-ji Temple. There are two tickets sold - one that gives you access just to the main hall and another that gives you access to the museum. The heat and the exhausting flight the day before meant that some of my family were a bit tired and we hadn't had a proper lunch yet so we decided to just get the main hall access.

Big Buddha Hall at Todai-ji Temple

Todai-ji Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Nara Park. This magnificent structure is said to have once been the largest wooden building in the world. It is also one of the most famous temples in Japan. Seeing it from afar, we could understand why: it looks quite impressive!

Todai-ji Temple

At the center of the main hall of the Todai-ji Temple is this massive 15-meter bronze statue of Buddha Vairocana.

15-meter-tall bronze Buddha

There are many more huge statues around the main hall, some of which look just as fierce as the ones at the Nandaimon Gate.

Despite the oppressive heat, our trip to Nara proved to be very enjoyable as we got to interact with deer, see some impressive views and structures, and enjoy traditional Japanese food.

Bodhisattva statue

Next: Kyoto