Nara Park – February 9th

Today, we ventured out to Nara Park in the Nara prefecture—a vast park filled with temples, museums, and freely roaming deer. We left our Airbnb around 12:30 and walked half a mile to the nearest metro station. The walk was enjoyable, thanks to the smaller cars, slower traffic, and the general respect given to pedestrians. It truly feels like the road is a shared space between cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists here. Like anywhere, people add cute and quirky touches to the fronts of their homes—garden clown statues, framed fish—little details I love to notice. I enjoy observing things like the shape of a house’s windows, how the houses cluster together, or how many plants line a doorway.

 

I needed to add more money to my IC card, so we stopped at a 7-11 on the way to the station to withdraw some cash. We learned that to have a mobile version of the IC card in your Apple Wallet, you need a non-Visa credit/debit card (for some reason, non-JP Visas don’t work for this purpose). Without that, you have to add cash to the physical card at a Family Mart or a metro station ticket machine. Once that was squared away, we took the M line to a station where we could transfer to the Kintetsu Express Line to Nara Park. Fun fact: three trains go from Osaka to Nara Park—the express (40 mins), rapid express (35 mins), and limited express (30 mins). The express and rapid express accept regular IC card swipes, while the limited express requires an additional ticket. Our express train ride was quiet and clean, as loud conversations (in person or on the phone) aren’t socially accepted in Japan, especially on public transit. Most people journal, scroll their phones, or sit quietly, making for a relaxing ride.

 

Once we got off the metro, it was a short walk to the park. We knew we were getting close when we started seeing “Caution: Deer Crossing” signs. Inside Nara Park, deer were everywhere! They’re tiny—about waist height—and very socialized. In Japan, deer are considered sacred, and hunting them has never really been a thing. Vendors were selling round deer crackers for 200 JPY (about $1.32). John and I both got a pack and started wandering the grounds, feeding the deer. It was so cute—you guys, the deer are used to interacting with people by bowing! If you bowed, the deer would bow back before you fed them a cracker. Some deer were too sleepy for food, just lying down and napping. In certain roped-off areas, deer would poke their heads through to grab crackers, and as soon as one figured out you had food, others would rush over, playfully “competing” for the treats.

 

After we ran out of crackers, we split up to find lunch. I was craving ramen, while John wanted to try the Nara Museum Café. I was a little nervous about sitting down at a Japanese restaurant alone, but it went smoothly. The ramen spot was just off the park, with a plaque at the bottom of the stairs reading, Enter Here. I walked through the hanging ramen-patterned curtains and headed up. The attendant at the counter smiled, led me to a six-person table, and gestured for me to sit. She brought me water, pointed to the chopsticks in a cup, and handed me a menu. A little later, another attendant came over and asked me something in Japanese—I assume it was, Are you ready to order? I smiled and pointed to the ramen I wanted. He nodded, asked a few more questions I couldn’t answer, then took my menu. A few minutes later, the first woman returned, gesturing for me to move to a counter seat by the window, apologizing with multiple “sorry, sorrys.” Honestly, I was grateful—people-watching made the experience even better. The ramen was delicious. Thankfully, the table number marker had Please take with you when you pay written on it, which helped me figure out how to check out. I’m so appreciative of the patience people have had with me as I navigate my new-to-country confusion. By the time I finished eating, John had already headed into the Nara National Museum, so we met up at the gift shop in the basement accessible to those without tickets. Then, he went to the Todaji Museum, while I explored the Nara National Museum.

 

The museum displayed artifacts and artwork from across Japanese history, from 1130 AD to modern times. One of the coolest exhibits was a video about the Shuni-e, a Buddhist service held annually since the Nara period. Every spring, ten monks gather to pray for universal peace, national prosperity, and a joyful life for all. The exhibit showcased ritual items like sacred water vessels, fire-burning branches, and monks’ robes. Another fascinating section focused on Japanese Buddhist statuary. Since wood is abundant in Japan, most Buddhist statues here are wooden. To make them lighter, many are hollowed out. The exhibit went in detail into the different techniques used to create these statues, ranging from joining two pieces of individually carved wood together to gluing multiple pieces of wood into one big block for carving.

 

After finishing at the museum, I walked across the park to Todaji Temple, home to the Great Buddha Hall. The path was full of deer roaming freely and people feeding them. I met back up with John inside the hall, and oh my goodness. The Great Buddha is truly great. It left me feeling awestruck, to be standing under such a huge statue. Commissioned by Emperor Shomu around 750 AD to bring national peace during social unrest, the gilded bronze statue of Variocana still stands today. At nearly 50 feet tall, the Great Buddha towered over me in a way that felt both peaceful and powerful—unlike anything I had ever experienced. It made me reflect on humanity’s obsession with building massive structures: the tallest skyscraper, the biggest pyramid. But this felt different. It wasn’t about money or fame —it was about reverence, faith, and the sheer endurance of time.

 

After taking in the incredible hall and its other statues, we decided it was time to go. We bowed our thanks and goodbyes to the Buddha and headed to the market near the metro. John wandered for a bit, taking in all of the shops, while I looked at funny English translated food items. Then, we made our way back to the Airbnb.

 

And that, my friends, pretty much wraps up our day. Thanks for coming along with us!

 

-W