Nara Prefecture in central Honshu, is one of Japan’s oldest prefectures, predating the Heian period. The Nara Period was from the year 710-794, ended when the Heian period began. The Imperial capital was located in Nara prefecture during that time.
Nara is known world wide as ‘that place where the deer roam the streets’. And yes, that reputation is very true – but only in the prefectures capital city of Nara. In Nara city, near the downtown area, thousands of deer roam the streets and park as they please. They do have their horns cut off for the protection of the many travellers, but other than that, they are left to do whatever they want to – usually it’s snacking on special deer cookies tourists feed them. Around the city, in particular where the deer are most prominent, you can find local vendors selling deer cookies for about 150JPY for a stack of 10 cookies, so if you see some deer, go a head and feed them with the cookies. Although you may see the occasional person snacking on the cookies, we don’t recommend it – they don’t taste that nice.
Aside from Nara Deer Park, there is plenty to do, from exploring ancient temples and shrines, to some stunning nature walks, Nara Prefecture is one of the greatest prefectures in Japan.
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