The Wild-ish Deer of Nara, Japan

The city of Nara is about 45 minutes outside of Osaka by train. It’s a popular day trip mainly because of Nara Park: an enormous park that is home to thousands of wild yet very friendly deer.

We were initially hesitant to spend one of our two Osaka days on Nara. But, all concerns were put to rest when we met these adorable deer, which are a can’t-miss phenomenon.

I could easily spend all day feeding them deer crackers, which you can buy at any of the nearby stands or souvenir shops. The deer even do a little bow to request the crackers. It’s total cuteness overload.

The park itself is also lovely, and would be an afternoon well-spent even without the deer. Especially right now while the cherry blossoms are still in peak bloom.

When we ran out of deer crackers, we decided to rent a row boat to enjoy the sakura from a different vantage point.

Here’s James, expertly navigating us underneath a bridge.

I was… a bit less smooth.

What an incredible day. Here’s one more deer photo.