Nara - Deer, Temples, and Tranquility

Nara, once a lively capital and religious hub of Japan, is now often just a brief day trip on many traveler itineraries: hop on a train from Kyoto or Osaka, stroll through Nara Park, feed some bowing deer, take a quick peek at Todai-ji Temple, then leave. For us, Nara seemed like a place we could relax for a few days after the hectic bustle of Japan's sprawling cities, so we opted so stay for two nights instead. The more deer sightseeing the better, right?

As both the Umeda and Namba trains stations in Osaka had proven to be confusing labyrinths that we previously got lost in, we left the city via one of it's smaller stations. The train we needed was the rapid express to Nara, and luckily for us it wasn't one of the confusing trains that require extra tickets. We arrived just before midday, so before finding some where to sate our hunger we quickly dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed to Nara park to see the deer.

It wasn't quite what I was expecting, yes it was a park and yes, there were deer but it was just so crowded. Where was the tranquility I sought? Confused and hungry we left the throngs behind and ventured into the side streets, looking for a quiet spot to enjoy a meal. A small independent restaurant in an unassuming building covered in wooden slats grabbed our attention. Through the window we could see a Japanese woman contentedly eating a set meal on a corner table. It seemed perfect. A sign outside explained how the restaurant worked, the proprietress couldn't speak english so foreigners were asked to simply chose from set A or B and to pay up front.

I chose set A, the fish option where Ben went for a set with chicken. It came with the usual "set" accompaniments, rice, miso soup and a selection of seasonal vegetables and pickles. The food was beautifully cooked and although the portions looked small they were the perfect size. Despite our lack of Japanese, the service was warm and wholesome - with only 11 seats in the restaurant it felt like we'd been welcomed into her home. For ¥1500 we couldn't complain and we were ready to get back to exploring.

Hoping the crowds had somewhat dispersed we headed over to Todai-ji Temple to buy a ticket and explore inside When we arrived a queue snaked around the side of the building, and by looking through the wooden slats of the outer temple wall we could see the central courtyard was packed. Hoping the weather would be nice the next day, we put off our plans and decided that we'd try and visit as soon as it opened at seven thirty: a luxury we had by deciding on a longer trip.

After sticking to budget and business hotels so far, in Nara we decided to splash out for once and chose somewhere pretty unique. Although the large concrete building that houses the pretentiously named "Miroku Nara" Hotel (named after a spiritual saviour) is far from traditional, the room we'd chosen seemed to blend the old with the new. We had plush futon style beds in one part of the room, and the other was taken over by a tatami matt sitting area, complete with fancy floor seats. The provided yukata pyjamas were also the most sophisticated we'd been provided so far, soft and buttery although still not overly flattering. So the inside was pretty fancy, but the highlight of the hotel was definitely it's location, bordering onto a side area of Nara Park. In the evening, groups of deer, done with their day of harassing tourists, would come to rest right outside.

Expensive deer cracker box.

After a rest in the hotel we headed back to Nara park to have a late afternoon walk in the forest. The atmosphere was completely different, the crowds had dispersed and the deer that had been mobbing tourists for food were now relaxing in groups grazing. It was exactly what i'd been envisioning. We walked down paths bordered by unlit stone lanterns that separated us from the trees beyond, the light slowly faded the deeper into the dense forest we ventured and before long the deers had disappeared too. There was, however, a deer cracker vending machine, sitting by itself on the side of one path. As I hadn't seen anywhere else to buy them, I payed the (what I later found out to be overpriced) ¥1000, so I could hopefully bribe some deer into bowing.

With signs warning of nighttime boar sightings in the forest, we decided to head back out to Nara Parks' meadows before we lost all light. The deer seemed to have the same idea. They also seemed to sense that I now had crackers, and they were far more interested in me than they had been before. I have to admit, their bowing wasn't quite as solemn and majestic as I'd seen online. It was more of a hurried and repeated head bob followed by an expectant glare. A trio of adolescent deer didn't even attempt to bow at all, but instead relied heavily on being cute while invading my personal space to guilt deer crackers from me. Afraid if we lingered too long I would soon be bullied out of all the crackers I had brought we headed off to dinner before getting an early night.

It was worth it, to rise slightly earlier than usual and begin exploring before the throngs of tourists arrived. The early morning hours offered a unique tranquility that can be lost amongst the bustling crowds later in the day. It was a beautiful walk across Nara park, the early morning light casting a gentle glow, highlighting the deer quietly grazing across the meadows. As we arrived at Todai-ji Temple we were relieved to find it crowd free, the bustling atmosphere from the day before had been replaced with a sense of peace and reverence. The absence of large crowds allowed me to soak in the spiritual nature of the site without distraction.

First built in 752, Todai-ji was once the head buddhist temple in Japan. It's imposing main hall (The Great Buddha hall) has been rebuilt several times over the years, each time being built slightly smaller than it's previous iteration - due to the temples sects diminishing power and influence. Despite the latest version of the hall (built in 1709) being two thirds smaller than the original, it held the record of being the world's largest wooden building until 1998. As we stared up at the intricate woodwork of this immense building, it was hard to imagine it being larger and grander in the past.

Inside the impossibly large building sits an impossibly large bronze Buddha, like the building the statue is not entirely original with different parts of it being recast once they became damaged. We took our time wandering around the hall, appreciating the artistry of the various statues within and the vastness of the space. Our hushed footsteps resonated softly against the wooden floors as we explored, enhancing the atmosphere of solitude and serenity. As we were leaving, a group of devotees were being taken up to pray at the base of the great Buddha, and seeing them standing there seeming minuscule in comparison really highlighted how gargantuan the effigy is.

To the right of the temple doors sits a statue a lot more weathered than the rest. An attempt has been made to preserve him by wrapping him in what looks to be an oversized rain-mac. This statue is of Binzuru, one of the original followers of Buddha. It's believed in Japanese Buddhism that wounds and aliments can be cured by rubbing the corresponding part of a Binzuru statue... as Ben's back was still sore from his snowboarding accident, he gave it a go. I'm not going to say it was the statues doing but his back no longer hurts... there's only one logical explanation for that right?

Continuing our trend of finding bougie little bakeries for breakfast, we headed into Nara's smaller lanes where we happened upon Boulangerie Riche which had a varied selection to chose from. Since visiting, i've discovered their website which has some stellar reviews such as "Satisfying to look at! Satisfying to eat!" and my personal favourite "I want to eat that bread again." and honestly, I feel they sum up my experience of the bakery nicely. The pastries we chose were beautiful and delicious, and if not for a small little mishap we would have gone back again the next morning - more on that later.

With a fair portion of the morning left before most tourists would arrive from Kyoto or Osaka, we made the most exploring Nara park and the Primeval forest. The deer were inquisitive but relaxed, placing themselves in our path, bowing in the hopes of a cracker but not being too pushy when one didn't materialise. The forest was mossy and cool, the perfect spot to while away the hours as the sun beat relentlessly down and the temperatures soared. We didn't venture into any of the temples nestled away deep within the trees, instead we would skirt by their grand tori gates and followed smaller and smaller paths leaving the slowly growing crowds behind.

When we finally emerged from the forest, the tourists were out in force and as the groups grew the behaviour of the deer seemed to deteriorate. Gone was the gentle bowing, now if a treat wasn't produced graceful acceptance was replaced with chasing and head butting. The deer seemed to pick out easy marks, the deer cracker vendors were ignored but anyone who purchased from them was swiftly surrounded, especially if they seemed a bit nervous. As amusing as it was to watch people getting mugged by such innocent looking little deer, we wanted to soak up as much serenity as we could so we went off in search for a Japanese garden instead.

There were a few different gardens to chose from in Nara, we decided on Yoshikien Garden for a couple of reasons; it wasn't too far a walk away and it was free. We had believed there was a open tea house on site, but while we wandered from shade to shade through the three gardens we were unable to find it. Once we'd reluctantly accepted that tea wasn't meant to be, we found a peaceful spot to sit and soak in the gardens.

When the hottest part of the day came, we returned to the soothing coolness of our hotel room. We ventured out again in the early evening, just before sunset. This time, we took a slightly different path and discovered a vast hilly meadow where deer were grazing and cooling off in a large pond. This was also apparently where mating challenges were taking place and stags would chase each other about, not quite coming together in full clashes but close. It made feeding the deer all that more precarious, not only were the does being pushy but they were always followed by a hopeful antlered suitor, making being accidentally run over all the more likely.

On our final day in Nara we had planned another bakery visit followed by an mid morning train to Kyoto but that wasn't meant to be. I woke up and my head felt strange and fuzzy. The evening before, after sitting by the window to write I stood up without paying attention and cracked my head against the concrete lintel over the window in our room. I instantly got a headache, and a strange sticky clear fluid flowed from my nose - but I assumed it would be fine. The fluid thing happened sporadically for the rest of the night, heightening my worry but again, I assumed i'd feel better the next day. I didn't and after discussing things with the very helpful hotel staff, an ambulance was called.

To cut a long and fairly non-eventful story short. I rode in an ambulance, I got hooked up to a monitor or two, I once again had my head CT'ed and this was all within two hours. The team of staff tasked to care for me were more than apologetic about how long things were taking, but after just another short wait I was free to leave*. I was told to take it easy and seek medical care if things got worse. A dramatic end to our peaceful visit to Nara.

Next: Kyoto

Before: Osaka

Deer Picture tax:

*after paying aprroximatly £300, most of which I recouped through the magic of travel insurance.