Deer in Nara Koen Japan

This week's Japan Picture of the week is the famous deer which can be seen at Nara Koen in Japan. Nara Koen was created from wasteland in 1880 and is home to about 1200 deer. The deer in pre-Buddhist times were considered to be messengers of the gods, and today they enjoy the status of National Treasures. The deer roam the park and surrounding areas in search of keen tourists and a hand-out of food. You can buy shika-sembei (special biscuits) from vendors for 150 yen to feed to the deer.


This picture was taken on the approach to the famous Todai-ji temple’s Nandai-mon (gate), which you can read more about here.

Deer in Nara Koen Japan

Picture of the Week Nio Guardians at Nandai-mon Todai-ji Nara

These two fierce looking guardian statues protect the main entrance to Todai-ji in Nara, which is the 13th century Nandai-mon. The statues were carved in 1203 by the sculptor Unkei, and are more than 8 meters tall. They are considered some of the finest wooden statues in all of Japan, if not the world. They are really impressive and look like they could spring to life at any moment.

Todai-ji in Nara is opened from

8:00am to 4:30pm (November to February)
8:00am to 5:00pm (March)
7:30am to 5:30pm (April to September)
7:30am to 5:00pm (October)

Admission is ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children