Anyhoo, Nara is located at the base of a mountain, about an hour outside of Kyoto, and is a very natural, forested region known for its hundreds of "wild" deer.
The deer mingle with the people to such an extent that special packets of crackers have been developed that you can buy to feed them. Even the paper is edible (made of some type of soy) so that the deer can eat even more and the people don't have to worry about litter. There are few public trash cans here and the entire country is very clean and litter-free, like Singapore-level clean.
When you buy the crackers, you gain 75 new friends immediately.
We just reached maternity season and the babies are old enough to start following their mamas into public areas, which meant that I was in complete and total Heaven. Yesterday was a full-day tour with a private guide, and as she would launch into an explanation about this shrine or that temple, I would drift off and have a little love fest with my new friends.
I mean, tell me that these aren't the sweetest little things you've ever seen in your life.
We saw some people letting the deer eat their paper and I almost had a fit. The guide told us, though, that the deer love paper and eat it when they can because many of the trees are protected with wires that prevent the deer from eating bark. In fact, at many of the shrines we visited, ancient stone lanterns were wrapped in paper and holes were everywhere! The deer sneak in and eat the paper when people aren't around!
It can't be too bad for them because, while the average life span of a Japanese deer is 6-7 years, the average life span of these deer is 16 years. They are living high on the hog.
They are very tame, but also very used to people and not shy at all. In fact, they bow! They are truly Japanese! I thought the guide was just saying that, and that the deer were only bobbing their heads, looking to see if people had food, but no. I watched as a man bowed to the deer and the deer bowed back. Then the man bowed more deeply and so did the deer. They repeated this process three times before the man gave the deer crackers. My heart melted and I'm in the process of relocating to Nara. No more Denver for me.
Yesterday we saw some of the most beautiful shrines and temples of this trip, but those will have to wait for another post because animals take priority. I want to sneak about 10 of these babies home with me. Lucy can deal.
Off for a bicycle tour of Kyoto!
Too close. And you must come back. Because you are too far.
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