Nara, Oh Deer!

A heard of deer carelessly walking through a crowd of people in a Nara park.

Nara is a beautiful city full of history and wonders that is often overlooked in favor of the larger and more famous neighboring cities of Osaka and Kyoto.  However taking a day or two to visit Nara is well worth the trip for anyone who can make it. It is less than an hour away from both Kyoto and Osaka and is a very simple trip by train.  Nara is a beautiful city populated many Buddhist Temples and maybe even more notably, deer (but we’ll get to the deer in a little bit).  If for nothing else it is worth a visit just to say you have gone to the first capital of Japan; as Nara was the original permanent capital of Japan and remained so for most of the eighth century.

A few deer wandering right off the main road in Nara.

The first thing one is likely to notice in Nara is the deer.  There are deer absolutely everywhere.  They comingle with the people on the streets, harass tourists trying to purchase omiyagis, and lounge about on the paths and lawns outside the temples.  Every fifty feet there are venders selling food to feed the deer (and often beer to make this an even more interesting experience).  People come from all over to feed and pet these deer, parents make their terrified children pose for pictures, in fact the deer themselves might be the biggest draw the city has. There are even ceremonies celebrating the deer like the antler cutting ceremony I witnessed during my visit.

Despite the constant “Kawaii”s one may hear while socializing with these creatures, there are signs scattered about the city warning of the dangers the deer pose.  The deer put up with the tourists for one reason; they want to be fed. And if one has an empty stomach, humans beware.  The deer will chase, head-butt, and even bite visitors in their quest for food, and when this happens these cute cuddly creatures turn into terrifying beasts.  I noticed this myself in my multiple trips to Nara and the different attitudes these creatures take on depending on the day.  When the weather is nice and the there are plenty of tourists to feed the deer they lazily wander about on a full stomach only venturing towards the people when they feel they can stomach one more biscuit.  But on rainy days when people are scarce these deer might as well be monsters.  I was chased by a pack of deer and repeatedly head-butted for about 200 meters before climbing to safety on a statue. In times like this, these deer are more of a threat than a tourist attraction.

Pay no attention to that cute little fawn, as the sign says, the deer will maul you.

Todaiji Temple

Apart from the terrible wonder of the deer, another great thing to see in Nara is Todaiji Temple.  It is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and is as beautiful as it is large.  It traditional architecture in combination with a wondrous lawn makes for a stunning scene. Inside, this temple houses an enormous Buddha and two giant guardian statues, some of the more impressive pieces of historical Buddhist art you will find in Japan.  And for those daring enough one of the support beams inside has a hole the size of a guardian’s nostril, and crawling through it is said to give you good luck.  This is a place that is more than worth the small train fair and time it takes to get there is would be enjoyable to people of all ages and nationalities.

With a little bit of struggle I got through the hole in the support beam.

One of the Guardians of the temple.

What the Furkawabashi!

Furukawabashi.  The first thing I learned about Furukawabashi Station is that the limited express train does not stop there. Of course I learned this only after reaching the end of the line without ever noticing that the train blew right past the station or that I was in fact,  on a limited express train.  Actually, the only trains that make stops at Furukawabashi  Station are local trains. Despite this, it is still a rather large and populated station.  Within the Station there is a small mall with numerous clothing shops and small chain restaurants including Mister Donut, and Lotteria among others.  Its also includes a fashion center with several chain clothing stores and a hyaku yen store. 

The area of the station with restaurants and places to eat.

            Immediately upon exiting the station you come across several more stores and combinis and a video game and DVD rental shop.  There is a street with an arched sign over it which reads Furukawabashi Mall.  Walking down this street one can find a multitude of small family shops selling everything from trinkets and souvenirs to fruits and vegetables.   This street is also populated with a multitude of small restaurants, bars, and Izakayas. Despite all these shops and places to eat this location is not a huge draw.  According to the man I met there who spoke English people who come there live near by and come to do a little shopping or get something to eat on their way home. This seemed to fit with my own observations about the station.

The shopping area just outside the station.

            I noticed that the station was mostly either populated entirely with people wearing suits and business attire or children and high school students in uniform.  Which group dominated depended on the time of day. And at rush hours there were strong segments of both these groups.

Here is a link to the Keihan station website with information on trains, lines, stations and stops:

www.keihan.co.jp/en/

Its Raining Cats and Dogs

When walking through Makino, or Hirakatashi, or even Shinsaibashi for that matter, one sight that is extremely common is of cats roaming the street.  This raises the question of where all these cats come from. While some of these are family cats and pets most are stray, abandoned or feral cats.  This is an issue that has become quite serious in Japan.

A couple stray cats at the park near my seminar house.

            Many of these stray cats have come from once loving homes but were cast out when they lost their style and appeal.  Not too many years ago Japan experienced a large “pet boom”; this was an explosion in the purchasing of pets, mostly dogs and cats. People purchased these animals because it was the cool or fashionable thing to do. Because of this pets were purchased much in the same way fashion accessories are, without any thought to the long-term responsibilities.  This scenario is reflective of the brand mentality that is often attributed to the Japanese public.  People buy what is popular at the time and simply discard it when it loses its luster, and these pets fit perfectly into this cycle.

            While many pets were kept in loving homes, many others were simply released from their owners’ homes and turned out onto the streets and into the parks, populating the country with abandoned animals.  One of the best examples of this I have seen is a park not far from Seminar House 3 where at anyone time you can find dozens upon dozens of cats. Their owners have obviously abandoned many of these but some of them have been born feral as the offspring of abandoned cats, which congregate, in that area.

A stray cat that jumped up onto a bench next to me, to beg for the food I was eating.

            The people’s reaction to these cats seems to differ across the board depending on the person.  There are some people in the neighborhood who put out water and food for these cats and enjoy having them around.  Many others find them a nuisance. In fact there are so many problems with these strays that there are trucks that drive around and act as portable gas chambers exterminating these cats. This provides an interesting perspective into Japanese consumerism and the relationship between people and animals in Japan. 

Some links to sites about abondoned pets in Japan and Stray animal control methods can be found below:
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/25/japan-stray-animal-death-trucks
www.aapn.org/japandogs.html