Nostalgia Post - Nara

Feeding Shika

In the summer of 2000 I was able to travel to Japan to study abroad, thanks to the generosity of two of my teachers. At the time I could have never have afforded the $3000 price tag. (At the time that was a steal!) I remember my family saving up so that I could have $300 in spending money and that being a -huge- deal.

 By the time we made it to Nara I was almost out of money. I had bought a yukata, candy, manga and souvenirs for my family. I also bought three peaches for $15... I used what little I had left to participate in the madness that is feeding the sacred deer. You buy a stack of senbei and are instantly mobbed by these national treasures!

This picture was taken in Nara with my first camera, a cheap, tiny Kodak that used 120 film. A friend took this shot of me feeding senbei (in my left hand) to one of the shika in Nara Park. I chose to feed this deer, in particular, because he wasn't attacking me. 

You can find many videos like this one on YouTube, just search for "Nara deer attack". You can also find videos of what is supposed to happen. If you bow to a deer, he will bow to you and then you hand over a senbei. This works occasionally, and when it does it's really cool. Sadly it seems far more likely that the hapless proffer-er of senbei will be mobbed. The deer will eat -anything-. They will eat your luggage tags, your maps, your scarves, anything they can get. One got my hair, one got a classmates crotch, I was stabbed with antlers. Sheer horror. Of course my husband wants to visit...

At least they're cute and tiny! Like really fancy goats!