Nara: Mean Deer, Mountain-Climbing, and Toe Blisters
A few weekends ago, I went to Nara-koen. I never realized how many deer lived in the park until I actually went and saw the hordes of deer inhabiting this place. There are apparently somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 deer living in Nara-koen. All of them are tame to varying degrees, some to the point where they well let you pet them! Their fur is quite soft. However, all of them act like greedy pigs when they see that you have "shika-senbei" or the crackers that are made especially to feed the deer. There are signs warning visitors of "butting, biting, and kicking." I fed a lot of deer that day. It is quite amusing because as soon as you buy some crackers, they gather around you and try and take the crackers as well as attempt to eat any clothing that you happen to be wearing. The coat that I was wearing became covered in deer slobber, which was quite disgusting. After wandering around the main part of the park and seeing the beautiful gardens, temples, and s...