Nara Park, Nara. Don’t let this picture fool you. The Sika deer in Nara are not caged. They are not fenced in. They roam quite freely, even wandering onto the sidewalks and streets on occasion. This little darling—only a baby—was just hiding out, away from all the touchy tourists. Nara was a lot of fun. It’s no secret that I am a fool for animals, especially when they are cute and/or furry. The Sika deer are most certainly both, and I loved watching them as the group wandered around Nara today. One estimate I read put the deer population at about 1200. They are a national treasure in Japan, and the Shinto religion reveres them as messengers of the gods. In fact, for many centuries, the law stated a death penalty for anyone who killed one of the deer.

Nara Park, Nara.

Don’t let this picture fool you. The Sika deer in Nara are not caged. They are not fenced in. They roam quite freely, even wandering onto the sidewalks and streets on occasion. This little darling—only a baby—was just hiding out, away from all the touchy tourists.

Nara was a lot of fun. It’s no secret that I am a fool for animals, especially when they are cute and/or furry. The Sika deer are most certainly both, and I loved watching them as the group wandered around Nara today.

One estimate I read put the deer population at about 1200. They are a national treasure in Japan, and the Shinto religion reveres them as messengers of the gods. In fact, for many centuries, the law stated a death penalty for anyone who killed one of the deer.