Japan (Part 2): Nara

Nara

Less than an hour away by train from Osaka, Nara is the perfect day trip to experience a smaller Japanese city and of course, pet some wild deer! 

Shikamaru-kun, the Nara Tourist Association mascot!

The main attraction is Nara Park, the home of many hungry deer. You can pet them, you can take selfies with them, you can feed them deer crackers, but be warned, once they spot you with crackers, they can be aggressive and headbutt your booty. Try bowing to one and see what happens. 

If and when you get tired of the deer or run out of deer crackers, the park is full of attractions and history (Nara was the first permanent capital city of Japan way back when) like Todaji, the world’s largest wooden building that also houses a large Buddha statue, theres another temple Kofukuji, a beautiful shrine, Kasuga Taisha, and also the Nara National Museum all within walking distance. Take a relaxing stroll around the park and check out anything that catches your eye and don’t forget those cute deer souvenirs.

There happened to be a food fair while we were there, so we hydrated with some milk tea and took some more pictures with 'deer.'

We walked over to Edogawa Grilled Eel for lunch. The restaurant was tatami-style with low tables and no shoes allowed. They do have an English menu with pictures, which made ordering a lot easier. We decided to split a lunch set that served eel two ways: grilled and in an omelette. It was just enough to feed two people.

After lunch, we ventured to some shops and restaurants that just felt very Japanese and stopped by an owl cafe where for around $10 you can hold and pet and see many different owls. You can even have a raptor land onto your shoulder!

Overall, Nara is absolutely a great place to take a day trip to, even if you don’t even like deer, there many other things to see. Here’s some more deer pictures: