Nara Deer Park ♥ 奈良公園

Dear deer! Regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, deer are the symbol of Nara and hundreds roam freely around the park, and they are protected as a National Treasure! Deer crackers can be found for sale at many corners around the park, and you can feed the deer.

Another main attraction of Nara is Kasuga Taisha, a World Heritage Site. It is a 30-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, though you can take a bus there. The bus is not covered in the Kansai Thru Pass, and since I was literally on my last few hundred yen, I walked to and fro (´Д`) Kasuga Taisha is a very pretty red shrine, and their omamori are gorgeous! Even their ema boards are heart-shaped and so cute!

My favorite photo of Kasuga Taisha! ♥

The grounds are rather extensive with many halls, trees and paths lined with stone lanterns.

On the grounds of Kasuga Taisha there are many deer resting and wandering around. These deer are not shy or afraid of people at all! They occupy all sorts of places in all sorts of positions, like between safety cones, around vending machines, behind stone lanterns, and even in front of store windows! Some deer even walk into the stores! (The ones with automated doors)

Beware of the deer! It didn't happen to me because I wasn't tempting them, but I've heard from friends' experiences that the deer might persistently follow you around if you're eating or holding onto food^^ There are various warning signs around the park cautioning that the deer can bite, kick, head-butt and knock you down! But the deer are quite docile, you can walk up to them and they'll let you pet them.

There are even deer painted on the lamp-posts around Nara Park! Another beautiful summer day, I love the blue of the sky and green of the grass! Beware of rickshaws drivers, they'll come up to you and try to bargain for you to take a ride^^

Visited Yoshikien, a garden that has free admission for foreigners/tourists! It's not very big but the pond is quite pretty. It also has a moss garden and tea house. Right beside it is a larger garden, Isuien, but it has an admission fee.

On the path to the gardens I saw a vending machine, and there are even dedicated buttons on vending machines for the deer! They are a form of donations/fund raising to maintain the deer of Nara Park. I found it funny that they put the line "No drink will be provided." HAHAHA!

Koufukuji, a temple originally built in 710! The pagoda is the 2nd tallest in Japan. Saw two elderly ladies decked in their kimonos paying a visit to the temple. Another sight to see on the grounds is the unique octagonal building^^