Wait until you see this wonderful deer utopia, it is amazing! The Nara Park, located in the city of Nara at the foot of Mount Wakakusa is one of the most beautiful places you could ever see.
The park covering 660 acres and established in 1880, is designated as a ‘place of scenic beauty’ by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and it is easy to see why. Covered in cherry blossom trees it is home to around 1,200 Sika Deer - these guys make the park their home and are visited by hordes of tourists every year.
The little deer hold a long-time place in the heart of the Japanese and according to folklore one of the gods ‘Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto’ of the Kasuga Shrine visited the mountain riding a white deer. As such they have been long protected by the Japanese authorities, it was even a capital offence to kill a Sika deer up until 1637 and while they did lose their honorific status at the end of World War II, they have never-the-less been protected as a species up to the present day.
They are certainly well cared for with thousands of tourists buying special food, deer crackers, so that they may feed the deer, and even sneak a perfect photo for their Instagram. Giving the ancient holy significance of the area and the deer, it is not surprising that many temples are found within the grounds of the park, each one crafted and built with expert skill by ancient artisans.
With the ongoing lockdown, which Japan is now exiting, it is hoped that tourists will soon flock back to the park, there have been recent reports of the deer beginning to stray from the park and head towards more populated areas in search of food, placing them in danger of being hit by traffic or becoming lost.
A recent video by Japanese photographer Kazuki Ikeda which has now become a bit of a viral storm, will no doubt spark interest in many who were formerly unaware of the beautiful scenery available there and encourage a revival of visitor numbers.
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Ikeda had been in the park before the lockdown, taking photographs for a couple’s wedding, but it was the sharing of the video involving the deer that really stole the show. In the video, we can see after viewing it just why so many are attracted to the park.
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