Yesterday we took the train about 45 minutes east to the city of Nara and visited the iconic Nara Park. This is a public park that spans over 1600 acres. The park was beautiful with its vast nature, various temples, and free roaming deer. In Shinto tradition the deer is seen as a messenger of God and Nara Park is home to over 1000 wild deer. You can buy crackers (shika senbei) to feed the deer, that have learned to bow politely in exchange for food.
When we first arrived the entrance to the park was super crowded. The crowds of people in Japan are starting to wear on us a bit. We walked farther into the park where we were able to enjoy feeding the deer and taking in the scenery without all the people.
Feeding the deer was so fun! Bowing is such a huge part of Japanese culture and watching these deer bow was delightful. They could get a little aggressive at times, but once our hands were empty of food they usually left us alone.
This small lake reminded me of the green lake we saw during our hike at Mirador el Silencio in Costa Rica. The green effect on this lake is caused by a plant called duckweed. These are tiny free floating plants that reproduce rapidly in warm, still water.
A Night for Two in Dotonbori
Dave and I recently enjoyed a night out in Dotonbori just the two of us. It was fun to explore this area at night! We had drinks and some street food while sitting along the Dotonbori canal. We tried okonomiyaki, which is a savory grill-top pancake. It is the best thing I have tried since we have been in Japan! Okonomiyaki is a pancake batter with a base filling of cabbage and then various other mix ins – we had shrimp. It’s topped with a sweet-savory sauce (like a thicker Worcestershire), Japanese mayo, dried seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes that dance in the heat.
We walked around a lot just taking in all the light before going to a little retro video game bar called the Space Station. Here we played old school Nintendo and other game consoles. We enjoyed playing the original Mario Kart, Frogger, and Galaga. The bartender was from Canada and we met a solo traveler from Australia. It was fun to speak English to someone outside our family!
Our time here in Japan is coming to an end, as we leave for Guam in less than a week. We’re all looking forward to getting back to the beach and Guam is supposed to have some of the best. Also, I just discovered today that Guam is part of the Oceania continent, so we will get to check another continent off our list!
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The bowing deer 🥹 oh my goodness, that is a delight. I can imagine the crowds and constant traffic of people would really wear on me too. Glad you’re soaking it all up before the next (beach!) stop.