Nara Park, or the Deer’s Heaven as some people call, is by far the most attractive spot for a wander in Nara with over 100 years of history. This one of the largest national parks in Japan has several national heritage sites such as Kasuga shrine and Todai-ji temple in a walking distance. The recommended tour would be visiting those historic structures where the latter is a home of 15 meters high Buddha, and chill in a peaceful nature that shows different sceneries in four seasons. Yet perhaps what makes this park so special is over 1000 natural deer roaming and occupying over 500 hectares of green.
Having a privilege status of being a national treasure, those Nara deer truly make the iconic scene you cannot dare to miss. There, anyone can buy Deer crackers to feed them, and you will experience their well-behaved gesture which cannot be more Japanese way of respectful begging: as you hold crackers overhead, they bow their heads once, twice, or possibly more if you are successful. You might want to be careful though, as they are totally not afraid of humans. As we previously mentioned, it is their sacred heaven after all. So know the rule and show it clearly when you run out of the Deer crackers, or they will chase you forever. If you get hungry after watching so many deer enjoying their non-stop snacking, you can relax at the traditional teahouse “Chaya” which offers authentic Japanese tea and sweets. So why not start planning your journey to the place of history and deer. Oh and the park is free entry, if you need to be reassured.