Nara Day with the Deer
By EWIG Reviewer · Nara, Japan · 2026-11-08
Nara Park greets us with soft pink cherry blossoms arching overhead and dozens of deer roaming the open green lawns. A paved stone path stretches toward distant wooden gates while deer rest on the grass alongside it. I stoop down low, offering a thin cracker directly from my hand to a velvet-nosed stag who bows his antlers right back. Smiling, I watch another deer nibble gently at the treat under the dappled sunlight.
Todai-ji rises ahead, a colossal wooden structure dominating the wide stone approach. We walk along the broad paved pathway toward the imposing multi-tiered hall, surrounded by visitors and deer strolling side by side over grey gravel. Inside the temple precincts, thick wooden pillars show centuries of deep cracks and weathered grain. Near one heavily carved column, thick white smoke curls upward from a dark bronze incense burner resting on a stone pedestal.
Kasuga Taisha draws us into a dense forest where moss covered stone lanterns line both sides of a winding dirt path. We walk along the stone-paved trail beneath towering cedar trees that filter the dim daylight. Endless rows of ancient lanterns, coated in thick green moss, guide our way toward a distant wooden torii gate. The air feels cool and still as I wander past the stone monuments standing shoulder-to-shoulder among the trees.
Naramachi reveals quiet, narrow alleyways flanked by traditional dark wooden merchant houses with slatted windows and tiled roofs. Ferns in ceramic pots decorate the stone paving, while a small red monkey doll hangs outside a doorway behind a cloth curtain. Inside an old wooden teahouse, I hold a ceramic bowl of frothy green matcha. Beside it, on a dark wooden table overlooking a small moss garden, rests a delicate flower-shaped sweet with gold leaf.
Isuien Garden opens up into a serene sanctuary framed by autumn foliage and green hills in the distance. Flat stepping stones form a curved path across the wide pond, leading past a quiet teahouse toward a grand hall tucked behind the trees. The water reflects the surrounding greenery, bright pink blossoms, and cloud-dappled sky. Sitting on the wooden veranda of a traditional pavilion, I hold a warm tea bowl, looking out across raked gravel toward the tranquil pond.
Walk this trip on the 3D globe in EWIG