Deer

I love this sign. Makes me laugh.

It is a warning sign regarding the deer in Nara, Japan.

A delightful place to spend a day. Wander up along a lovely road and into a large parked area of some 660 hectares. At the far end is a temple/shrine and all along the way are Sika deer.

I can report that I saw zero deer attacks whilst I was there.

Nara is in the lower middle of Japan. It is a tourist hotspot. Designated as a “natural treasure” (according to Japan-guide.com).

We all came here to see the town that is home to deer - the “messengers of the gods”. The Shinto gods that is.

They are everywhere, these messengers - all of them just hanging out.

Quite alot are smooching for snacks from the tourists.

There are food vans selling the deer snacks (of course there are!). These are called “Shika senbei” or “deer crackers”.

https://narashikanko.or.jp/en/feature/deer/

Deer Crackers

These deer just look very cute and non-violent.

The two below were rather determined to have their share of snacks. You can see the one on the right has adopted the ‘direct stare’ approach. A mind-trick aimed to hypnotise the human into dispersing deer-snacks.

I understand that the deer are summoned to the park by a chap blowing a horn. This marks the start of the season. The deer storm down from the surrounding mountains and cluster around the horn blower. (https://narashikanko.or.jp/en/feature/deer/)

One thing that greatly amused me was the way the deer would bow to you: if you stop, face the deer politely and bow. It would then lower its head in response. True story. Did it many times. Just like Buckbeak in Harry Potter…

Next time you are in Kyoto or Osaka take a detour and visit Nara (this blog is not sponsored by the Japanese Tourist industry).