There’s something odd about the Japanese city of Nara.
There’s a certain magic in the air, for between the ancient temples, storefronts, and chaos of urban society, deer roam freely, unphased by the humans living among them.
Now the deer that I’ve come to know won’t let humans get near them, so what is going on here?
Over 1,300 years ago legend has it that a god appeared on the mountain overlooking the city riding a white deer. From this moment on, the deer were considered sacred and divine, believed to be messengers of the Shinto gods that inhabit the city’s shrines and surrounding mountains.
Harming the deer was deemed a capital offense and up to present day they are still protected animals.
So the result of not hunting deer for 1,300 years? The deer have absolutely no fear of humans. They can be seen casually strolling in the city, the parks, and the surrounding mountains. Of course, the local economy has jumped on the opportunity to sell deer snacks that I am sure keep the level of deer in the city artificially high, but even the deer that I saw while hiking in the mountains were equally as friendly.
The deer truly give this city a unique, magical feeling, as I am not sure you can experience something quite like it anywhere else in the world.
It’s beautiful to see the humans and deer coexisting and goes to show the relationship that man can have with animals when they are treated as equals.
So, on my last day in Japan, I went to Nara to experience the enchanting deer for myself.
Evan Quarnstrom 
a friend posted this to my facebook page…a different view….of
The Emperor’s Deer
by Kamilah Aisha Moon
I.
Their noises make you think
they are crying or suffering.
They have learned to bow.
Even the fawns bow, centuries
of bowing
in their blood.
They are not considered wild.
Precious pests litter parks
with dung, take over the roads.
Sweet nuisance worth
saving, thinning these herds
is a last resort — once
a capital offense to spill
their endangered blood.
They are so used to humans, it is scary.
II.
Our cries are heard as noise,
our suffering considered
natural. Native citizens,
we are not free
to roam or deemed sacred
like Japanese bowing deer protected
as messengers of the gods.
Nara, Japan is known for its temples,
shrines to peace.
America is known for its churches,
segregated Sundays.
This is not Nara, Japan.
Hunted, it is always
open season. The sight
of dark skin brings out the wild
in certain human breeds.
Bowing, hands up
or any other gesture of surrender
makes no difference.
They slay our young & leave them
in the streets, expect us to walk away
& wonder, after centuries
why we are not used to this —
grieving masses treated
like waste, filthy herds
thinned at will.
III.
To be clear, this is America
& we are not deer
We are not deer
We are not dear
here
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5You, Anderson Long and 3 others
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THANK YOU FOR the WONDERFUL Photos.
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Nara is magical indeed, but my 87 yr. old traveling partner will never stop talking about getting her butt nipped by those deer. as neighbors in Eugene we were accustomed to deer wandering though our yards to lay waste to our roses, but those bigger deer were not like those in Nara.
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Really enjoyed reading about your experience in Nara! We were there last year and the deer were rather annoying! They were following us around and looking for food. They aren’t pretty (sorry, little creatures!), and were kind of scary, especially for the little school kids that we saw. On a sweeter note, did you try the yummy sweet potatoes that the street vendors were selling? My favorite!
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We loved it here too. Such a cool place
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