Harbinger of Spring

According to a traditional old calender, spring started on February 4th in Japan.

 

 Nara has still been cold , but it gives visitors serene scenerys like India ink drawings.

 

 

Each rain brings spring little by little.  In an icy air,  harbingers of spring are here and there.

Soon Ume - Japanese apricot blossoms will burst into bloom.

Summer in Deer Park

New Born Baby Deer

Now they are with their mothers in a deer pen of Kasuga Grand Shrine. Someday in July, they will debut in Nara Park.

The deer pen is open from 1:00 to 2:oopm till July 10th.
Admission: Adult 300yen, child 100yen

a day in Nara (May)

I went to Nara today.

A fine day it was in Nara.  Looking up, sky is clear and blue.

Glancing at a pond by Kofukuji Temple, turtles are taking sun bath.

 From the pond, I can see a wooden pagoda peacefully standing among fresh greens of spring.

Walking up stairs and entering Kofukuji Temple, I met deer taking a nap.

Purple clusters of wisteria decorated one of Buddhist halls of the temple.

From where I saw wisterias, I looked back at the pond downstairs.  People were walking around and enjoying a day in Nara.

(Pictures are all taken on May 8, 2011 around Kofukuji Temple)

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

Toilet for samurai?!

This is a sign found at a public lavatory in Kyoto indicating men's room.


As you can see the man in the picture is dressed in Kimono...looking a bit like Samurai... Well, no worry, you don't need to be a samurai to use a public lavatory in Kyoto, but in Nara there is an interesting rule to use a public lavatory. Which is you need to be a human! Public lavatories around Nara Park have a gate to prevent deer coming inside and eat toilet papers.

When you have a chance to use one in Nara, please remember to close the gate, or you might be sharing your very private time with deer...

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

P.S. For your interest, the public lavatory with samurai sign is located near Sanjusangendo Temple.

Be A World Champion in Nara!!

We've seen the great games of the Olympics and the Paralympics, and now it's your turn to be a gold medalist. How? Just come to Nara, and throw a deer cracker!

On March 20, 18th annual Deer Cracker Throwing Contest will be held in Wakakusa-yama Hill, Nara. As this is the unique event held only in Nara, the winner of this contest is a world champion! The winner will be awarded with a special prize - a very unique trophy - too special some of you might not like to have it! (Hint: it's something related to deer.) Come and find it out what it is.

Date: March 20, 2010
*held next day if weather is bad

Entry for the contest:
Registration starts from 9:30~
*only first 1000 people can enter
The game begins 10:00, ends 15:00

Fee: 300yen

Place: Wakakusa-yama Hill

Wakakusayama is a hill between Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Grand Shrine. We will pass by the contest if you take our Standard Nara Park Tour.

A smaller Deer Cracker Throwing event will be held on March 21 & 22, too. Same place, from 13:00~, for first 500 people who registered, entry fee 300 yen & 150 yen to enter Wakakusayama Hill.

The "world" record is 59.20m by a 16 years old boy from Hiroshima. Can you beat him?

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

Pied Piper in Nara ?

A staff member of Nara Deer Protection is playing Beethoven's Symphony No.6 "Pastorale" on horn at a gently rolling field in Kasuga Grand Shrine. Do Nara deer love Beethoven's symphony? No, the deer are being drawn by something else.

During the winter season, there is no grass and less natural food. He is blowing a horn to let the deer know that breakfast is ready. More than one hundred deer are running to the horn from every direction to get acorns.

No more acorns, so the deer start going home.

This "Gathering of the Deer" is a very popular tourist attraction in winter.
Don't miss this magnificent sight of gathering of the deer when you visit Nara next winter!

Keiko
-NARAWALK Guide

Shoso-in Exhibition Review

I went to Shoso-in Exhibition yesterday afternoon. Arriving Nara National Museum around 15:30, there were no lineups! Lucky me! I left my baggage in the free coin locker room provided for the exhibition visitors, and hurried myself inside.

I already had my ticket so I didn't needed to buy one. If you need to buy tickets, get them from a temporary ticket counter at JR or Kintetsu Nara Station. They have cheaper tickets than the ones sold at the museum.

At the museum entrance, personal voice guidance machines (500 yen, available in English) are available. There might be English volunteer guides available, too. Hearing explanation doubles the enjoyment of any exhibition (at least for me).

Among the numerous exhibits - beautiful in form or in craftsmanship, and interesting in its history - my favorite exhibit is exhibit no. 48 "Kingin-no-kaban." It is a silver plate ornamented with a imaginary deer "Hana-shika," a deer with antlers of flowering branches. The look of it reminds me of the deer like god "Shishi-gami" from Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke"!

"Hana-shika" was a popular motif in T'ang Dynasty symbolizing happiness. It looks like a Princess Mononoke's deer like god. Deer is also symbolic in Nara (you'll hear why during our tour). History, Nara and even animation, just fused in this single exhibit - exhibit no. 48.

What will your favorite exhibit be?

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

*Find dates and admission of this exhibition in our former article: Sosho-in exhibition is COMING SOON!

Herding deer by horn

Bringing in hundreds of deer by a horn in Nara Park... such a scene!

Every year in March, Nara Deer Preservation Foundtion holds this daily event starting 9a.m.

It is amazing to see many deer run out of woods and gather together around the horn player.

Deer in Nara Park is wild and well-preserved.
You'll meet them everywhere, when you visit famous Todaiji temple in Nara Park.

In this video clip, you can see the scene of deer-herding in Tobihino field in Nara Park with the sound of horn (and my son's giggle ;-)

Visit Nara, an ancient capital older than Kyoto.
You can find out more about deer in Nara in NARAWALK tours.

Tommy
-NARAWALK guide