Deer Park in Nara, Sad Deer with Long Necks
When leave Kohukuji Temple and go to Todaiji Temple, come across a spacious park.
That place is Nara Park.
On the way to Todaiji Temple through the park, there are shops on both sides,
and can see deer freely roaming around the park and shops.
What is this? It’s a park that makes wonder.
Usually, I had only seen deer confined within zoos,
but here, in a wide park without fences or restrictions, the deer were freely wandering.
When I looked into why there were so many deer,
it turns out that in Japanese shrines, each one worships different deities,
including legendary and historical figures.
In Nara, they worship a figure who is said to have arrived riding a white deer,
so they have released deer into the park to roam freely.
Perhaps due to the influx of tourists and occasional feeding, the deer were not afraid of people.
They even approached in a friendly manner, sniffing bags and checking for food.
It was intriguing to see the deer resting if they wanted to and walking around if they wanted to.
I was concerned about being attacked, but that didn’t happen.
It seems like they’re not very good at finding their own food.
However, I wasn’t sure if it’s okay to feed the deer.
Nevertheless, when I offered my hand, they would approach, sniffing for food.
To prevent accidents with people, their antlers have been trimmed.
Were they used for medicine?
If that’s the case, it’s quite sad.
This vast park and space belong to the deer.
Watching them walk freely and play was a delightful sight.
There were many deer even along the path with shops and many tourists.
They didn’t discriminate, urging anyone passing by for food.
Even if they disturbed the items in front of the shops, the shop owners didn’t get angry or chase the deer away.
Initially, the approach of the deer was a bit intimidating,
but over time, they appeared to be innocent creatures.
As long as I didn’t anger them, it seemed possible to become quite friendly.
They didn’t get startled or angry when touched or petted.
They would follow people, asking for food, and scatter shop items around,
but they wouldn’t touch the items for sale.
Could it be the result of long-term conditioning?
I was curious about how Nara knew a way for deer and people to coexist.
Japanese students seemed to be on an outdoor class trip,
and there were scenes everywhere of people taking photos with the deer and feeding them.
The deer following the grandfather in hopes of getting food were incredibly adorable.
However, seeing the deer in their natural state, tamed by humans, also made me feel a bit sad.
Dec. 12. 2009