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

Japanese Apricot blossoms in Nara Park

Ume(Japanese apricot) are still in full bloom in the Nara Park. Or it is passing the best time to view Ume blossoms.

You can enjoy beautiful Ume blossoms around here.

As Ume are the first trees of the year to bloom, they are considered as the first sign of the end of winter. Also Ume are loved as one of three lucky trees along with pine trees and bamboo trees.

After Ume blossoms are over, soon news people will start reporting on the cherry blossom front.

Keiko
-NARAWALK Guide

cUte InK BrUsh ArT

Ink and Brush - Nara is known for making high quality sumi ink and brushes. When I think of sumi ink or brushes, I usually think of serious calligraphy or sumi-e paintings. But there are cute ones too...

In a small gallery located within a Japanese traditional snack shop Zeitaku Mame Honpo(ぜいたく豆本舗), an exhibition is held. What you can find are arts and crafts of cozy taste calligraphy and cute paintings with traditional Japanese motifs.

For example, a cat with both hands up mean "Come fortune, Come customers."
The calligraphy above them very well says "Welcome" (yokoso in Japanese)!

You can also find hand inscribed stamps. All the exhibits are for sale. Enjoy art, find out about Japanese tradition or reward yourself with unique souvenir.

This particular exhibition is only for three days. From March 5, 2010 ~ March 7, 2010 (11:00am~5:00pm). Held by Muujyu(夢有樹 web site in Jpn only).

Zeitaku Mame Honpo, where the gallery is, is located on the Sanjo Street across a burger shop, Mos Burger. This gallery hosts a crafts exhibition through out the year. The duration is usually only a few days long. If you like crafts, this could be the place to meet the local artists.

Nara Walk welcomes customers~

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

The Hina Doll Festival was held on March 3rd.

On March 3rd, families with daughters celebrate the Hina Doll Festival praying their good health and happiness. Parents display a set of Hina dolls dressed in gorgeous traditional court costumes on a tiered stand. The dolls represent Emperor, Empress, court ladies, two ministers and court musicians.

These Emperor and Empress are about 130 years old.

Look at her beautiful crown and elaborately embroidered kimono dresses.

Even they have a court lady who takes care of their pet, a Chinese dog.


As soon as the Hina Doll Festival is over, parents stow the set of dolls away in a closet.　Because there is a superstition that if the parents delay to do so, the chances of their daughters’ marriage also will be delayed.

I had a beautiful set of Hina dolls which my parents bought for me when I was born. But during the move, my Empress was accidentally broken. I thought they finished their rolls and took them to a temple. After a memorial service, they burnt my dolls and buried dolls’ ashes beneath a stone monument. Hina dolls are so special that we don’t treat them as things.
Keiko
-NARAWALK Guide

Season 2010

The new season for Nara Walk will begin soon! From March 1st, we are back in JR Nara Station to welcome you with our daily walking tours.

What's New for 2010?
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1.More Daily Walking Tours You Can Join Without Reservation!

If you have limited time in Nara and want to find out about Nara, try our new tour "Daily Morning Todaiji".

Daily Morning Todaiji is a daily tour you can join without reservation from March 1st through December 20. Fee is 1,500yen per person. Duration is about 2hours.

For details check our website at NARAWALK (www.narawalk.com).

2.Special Tour to celebrate the 1300th anniversary of Nara becoming the first capital in Japan.

Did you know that the first capital of Japan was set in Nara? This year Nara is celebrating the 1300th anniversary of becoming the capital.

To celebrate this occasion, we are planning a special tour in the area near Nara Palace Site. We are still working on the details, imagining the smiles of our future customers.
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The day is getting longer and longer. Plums started to bloom. It's getting nicer and nicer to take a walking tour.

Sue
-NARAWALK guide

The hell might exist under the sacred ground??

There is a very strange story in Noh Play. The story is titled “The mirror of a field guard – Nomori no Kagami”. A travelling priest encountered an elderly field guard. At night the field guard transformed to a fierce deity with a magic mirror.The mirror reflected everything and showed the traveling priest from the heaven to the hell. When the fierce deity stamped his feet, the ground was split in two. Inside the ground, the path down to the hell appeared. The deity climbed down the path to the hell and disappeared.

Where do you think the story is set? It is set somewhere at Tobihino, along the approach between the first and second Torii gates in Kasuga Grand Shrine. Tobihino is a gently rolling grass land where usually deer are roaming and eating grass. But be careful if you find a strange path in Tobihino! It might be the path leading you to the hell.

We are happy to tell you about Noh Play!!
Keiko
-NARAWALK Guide

Ladies Only

"Ladies Only," the sign says. Where do you think you can find this? The answer is on a train. Trains which run in urban area usually have women-only cars during the rush hour of weekdays. (For some route it's all day except for weekends and holidays.) The rush hours are usually till 9:00 in the morning and 17:00~21:00 in the evening. You can find specific hours for each train company on their sign.

As there are many signs on a platform and a train, it is easy to miss the signs for women-only cars. But if you happen to ride one, you'll notice for sure.

Unlike ladies-only car, our tour welcome both men and women~

Sue
-NARAWALK guide