Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara Kōen), Japan

Nara Park is a large park in Nara City about 20 minute walk from Nara Station. We stayed at a hostel right beside the station making it a easy walk to the park. The hostel (G is Good) was really affordable and fun with a social event every night in the bar downstairs.

Nara Park is most famous for the deer living in it. It was established in 1880 and currently is home to 100s of deer, which Nara is famous for. The deer are considered in Japanese religion to be messengers of the gods.

Nara Park

Nara Park

Nara Park

Most of the adult male deer have their antlers cut but you can see a few with full antlers. I expect they cut them for public safety. Despite how cute and small the deer are, they can bit a bit aggressive with each other and with tourists.

Nara Park

Nara Park

Nara park is really big and there are ponds, tori gates, open lawn and sections of forest. The lawn is browsed thin and there is very little ground vegetation.

Nara Park

Nara Park

Nara Park

 In the park they sell wafer like cookies for you to feed the deer for 150Yen/ pack. There are so many deer around the little booths selling cookies that they swarm tourists as soon as they buy some. This leads to entertaining views of tourists running and throwing cookies all over the place for the deer to get off the ground. If they think you will feed them they will chase you, headbutt you or bite you.

Nara park

Nara Park

Nara park deer fighting

Nara park

I can't help having mixed feelings about the deer living here. They are very tame for 'wild' animals and they appear to be quite dependent on the food given to them by tourists since there is very little vegetation left to browse in the park. Their antlers are cut and they don't really ever get peace from the city or the tourists.

Nara park

Nara park

Nara park

Nara park

You can find the deer all over the park including some of the temple and shrine areas or even the shop areas.

Nara Park

Nara park

Nara Park

Nara Park

Kasuga-taisha (春日大社) is one of the oldest temples in Nara Par. The entrance is a deer fountain. The Shrine is composed of a few buildings and you can walk though them for a short distance.

Kasuga-taisha (春日大社)

Kasuga-taisha (春日大社)

Kasuga-taisha (春日大社)

Other smaller shrines and tori gates are scattered throughout the park.

Nara Park

Nara Park

Tōdai-ji (東大寺) is the most famous temple in Nara. It is a large temple famous for the giant Buddha figure inside. The main giant Buddha is bordered by two other gold coloured statues on either side.

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

 The giant Buddha is quite spectacular with intricate designs framing the statue and lotus statues and decorations adorning the altar before the statue.

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

 Other guardian statues sit in each corner of the building. The statues are incredibly detailed and stand tall in the building.

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

 Tōdai-ji (東大寺) has been destroyed by fire previously and the main building containing the giant Buddha was rebuilt.

Model of previous main building of Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Model of current main building of Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Tōdai-ji (東大寺)

Todaiji Hokkedo (Sangatsudo) (東大寺 法華堂（三月堂)) and Nigatsu-do (東大寺 二月堂) are two larger temples in Nara Park just above Tōdai-ji (東大寺). 

Todaiji Hokkedo (Sangatsudo) (東大寺 法華堂（三月堂))

TNigatsu-do (東大寺 二月堂)

Nigatsu-do (東大寺 二月堂)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) was one one of the seven most powerful temples in Japan. It is a Buddhist temple that is incredibly old. The current location was established in 710 although the buildings have been damaged and rebuilt multiple times.   There was a ceremony being set up at the time I visited so I couldn't actually see the Golden Hall, which has just been completed this year.

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
South Octagonal Hall (南円堂 Nan'endō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
South Octagonal Hall (南円堂 Nan'endō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō)

Kōfuku-ji (興福寺),
Five-storied pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō)

Yoshiki-en (吉城園) is a free garden for foreigners to visit. It is a small garden and can easily be walked around in half an hour.

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)

 The moss garden is actually just an open area with a moss lawn. It is not manicured like the moss temple in Kyoto and much of the moss is dying.  The tea room is there and open to look into but you can't enter it.

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)

The trails are lush green and although there isn't flowers like in North American gardens the area is pretty and the scenery is well kept.

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)

Yoshiki-en (吉城園)