Deer Nara

Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan. As Buddhism and Shinto merged, the tradition of moving the capital with the death of the previous ruler ceased. The Yamato clan established Nara as the capital in the 700s.It was during this period that Buddhism flourished, but it was a Buddhist monk who played a significant role in forcing the capital to move to Kyoto. The monk seduced the Empress and the Emporer moved his capital to Kyoto away from the Buddhist center of Nara. Nara was only the capital of Japan for about 70 years.

After living in Nishinomiya for the past eight months, the town of Nara has a small and very rural feel. While it is only a forty minute train ride from southern Osaka, it is a world away. Nara lies over a small mountain to the east of Osaka. The city of Osaka is completely obscured by the mountain. Nara also has many large green spaces and parks, all of which gives Nara a remote feel. Added to the remote feel are the wild yet tame deer, which roam the park surrounding the Buddhist centers east of the city.

As we approached the historical center of Nara, we walked through a shopping district and into a temple complex housing a three storied pagoda and another five-storied pagoda. It was between these pagodas that we saw our first deer roaming the streets. All through the park leading up to the shrines and temples are deer. Vendors sell small packages of rice cakes to feed the deer. Little kids run up to the deer and feed them directly from their hands. I only saw a couple of deer that would nip at people for standing to close or for interrupting their naps.

The main attraction to Nara is an extremely large bronze Buddha. Reportedly he is one of the three largest Buddhas in Japan. Everything in Japan is “one of the three” most famous, oldest or largest. However, no one seems to know the names or locations of the other two.

Being vague is also one of the three most important signs of intelligence in Japanese culture.