Noborioji Park — Attraction in Nara

Nara Park (奈良公園) is one of Japan’s most iconic and beloved destinations, located in the heart of Nara City. Established in 1880, the park spans over 500 hectares and is home to some of the country’s most significant cultural and natural treasures.

One of Nara Park’s most famous features is its freely roaming deer population. Considered sacred messengers of the gods in Shinto belief, these gentle creatures have become a symbol of the city. Visitors can interact with the deer and even feed them specially sold “shika senbei” (deer crackers), an experience that delights both children and adults.

The park is also home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Todai-ji Temple, housing the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, renowned for its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns. Other landmarks include Kofuku-ji Temple and the Nara National Museum, making the park a hub of cultural and historical exploration.

The natural beauty of Nara Park changes with the seasons. Cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, vibrant autumn leaves, and occasional snow in winter create a picturesque landscape year-round. Its expansive lawns, ponds, and tree-lined paths make it a peaceful retreat for both locals and tourists.

Nara Park’s unique combination of history, nature, and wildlife offers a quintessential Japanese experience that leaves visitors with...

Noborioji Park is an okay spot to see deers, but it left me somewhat underwhelmed. The deers are confined to a small space, which unfortunately gives the area a zoo-like atmosphere, complete with the accompanying smell.

If you're planning to feed the deers, a word of advice: don't let them see you holding a full packet of crackers. Once they spot it, they'll follow you persistently. Be prepared—if you feed them too slowly or don’t give them a cracker after they’ve bowed their head, they might nudge or even nibbles at you. A good trick is to open both of your hands to show them you have nothing left—they'll usually walk away.

The deers here are highly intelligent; they tend to station themselves near the Deer Rice Cracker stands, and you’ll often find them lounging in the shade or under cooling systems, which makes sense given how extremely hot Nara has been lately.

However, the deers in Noborioji Park and in Nara Park seem malnourished, likely due to a lack of grass and greenery in their diet—an issue I hope the Japanese government will address.

For a better experience, I recommend walking further into the park towards Tōdai-ji or Nara Park, where the deers are more spread out and the smell isn’t as strong. Plus, feeding them there is a bit more enjoyable. A pack of 10 rice crackers costs 200 yen, and overall, it’s an...

I liked the park. It was pretty and as clean as it could be if you have a few houndred deers around.

But from a German perspective I didn‘t like the Japanese animal protection. We saw a few deers, that broke their legs long time ago. It never healed properly. Nobody tries to help them. So many tourists come to Nara to see the deers. Why don‘t you take the money from tourism and bring the deers to some vets?

Another day we saw, that a mother and a baby deer got devided by a fence. We called the animal protection, but they said „this is nature. We can‘t do anything. If the baby dies without its mother, we can‘t help“. I asked a police officer whether I could jump over the fence and grab the baby. But he said „no, if you grab the baby, it won‘t smell like its mother anymore. The mother won‘t recognize it anymore“. From a German perspective this information is outdated. The mother was directly next to the baby and crying. Why wouldn‘t she recognize her baby anymore..? Luckily the baby found a way out through the fence after 2 hours.

Somewhere deeper in the woods I saw a male deer that was probably starving to death. It was way too skinny. I tried to feed him, but he was scared. He ate when I went off.

Please protect the deers if you say they belong to your religion...