One of the most tranquil places I have visited where animals and humans mingle is the Nara Deer Park. Deers roam welcoming their human visitors to the park and the nearby shrines.

Nara Koen (park) is located in Nara, Japan at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, and is home to over a thousand shika deers. Despite the large number of deers roaming around and buses offloading both domestic and international tourists, it is quiet, tranquil and peaceful at the park. As you can see in my photos, there seem to be an unwritten rule of mutual respect. At least in this visit, I have seen the respect animals gave to humans. There are occasional persistent ones who sniff and follow a visitor. They perhaps assume that humans have some shika-senbei (deer crackers) hidden in their bags. Yes, you may feed the deers, but only with deer crackers sold in the park and it is the only food allowed. That sight is fascinating to behold.

Along the path from the deer park to the entry to Kasuga Shrine, are the breathtaking stone lanterns. According to my readings there are 3000 lanterns in total. The feeling I experienced as I walk and pass by each lantern is hard to describe. In simple words, I felt relaxed and unburdened, like something heavy was lifted off my shoulders and chest. I guess that was partly due to being in nature.

We joined this tour as part of the around Japan cruise we took with Princess Cruises. The cruise also included a tour in Busan, South Korea. The tour operators are third party providers contracted by Princess Cruises. We are fortunate to have a very organised, well-spoken, funny and knowledgeable Japanese tour operators who “educated” about Nara and Kyoto prefectures during the short trip. There are so many articles already published about Nara and Kyoto, and folklores about the deers, so I won’t repeat them here. I hope you enjoy these photos instead.

A few things that I observed and would like to also share are:

1. Cleanliness - the Japanese are known for being tidy and clean. I have not seen any litter in this park and it was very enjoyable to experience.

2. Respect for environment - despite the country’s size and overpopulation, they have areas of nature both man-made and preserved to protect their environment and for their citizens and animals to enjoy.

3. Understand the animals - they are wild and they are not pets. Therefore, to enjoy the visit, do not tease or scare them, nor take a selfie close to their faces.

Bring your camera and a selfie stick to capture moments without being so close.

Stay tuned for my next post which is the nearby Kyoto.

Do leave your comments below, and if you have questions I will do my best to answer promptly. Thanks for stopping by.

Photos were taken by me with my Sony Alpha A7II and 50 mm f1.8 prime lens.