WHY NARA SHOULD BE ON YOUR JAPAN BUCKETLIST | Temples, Deer & Hidden Gems

WHY NARA SHOULD BE ON YOUR JAPAN BUCKETLIST | Temples, Deer & Hidden Gems

All righty, fellow travelers. Welcome back to Adventures of a Traveling Don and our penultimate video here in Japan. That’s right, this is the final video on this particular journey to Japan. And we’re going to finish it off strong here in the city of N, the home of the famous N deer. And when you get here to N, your first thing is when you’re coming off of the train, you’re going to be basically be running right through Higashimuki Market. And I think I got that right. Once again, I’m not too sure, but it is basically your traditional kind of like sore market that you can go through. A lot of places to eat, shop, and it all leads to eventually heading towards Nara Park. So, let’s go and see some deer. So, first stop on our way to Nara Park is a place called Nakatanito. And this is one of the little mochi spots where they actually do the whole kind of like mochi pounding and they make the fresh mochi right there in front of you. Now, we’re going to come back for that because they only do it at specific times. But right now, we got oursel a little fresh mochi that’s actually warm. I’ve never had warm mochi before. Oh, that pulled off easily. And that’s not sweet. Like usually you think the mochi, you know, in the US, you go to any sushi restaurant, get mochi for dessert, it’s a little sweet. This is not that sweet. Although when you bite a little further into it, you start to get what I’m guessing is probably the red bean paste. And it’s very, very nice. So, the first temple that we’re going to visit while we’re here in Nara is Kofukuji Temple. And this is the headquarters of the Hosu School of Buddhism in Japan. And it is a fantastic temple. You have the Golden Hall behind me and then of course you have subsequent other buildings that are all part of the temple. There is unfortunately for me a five-story pagota that is under renovation right now. Once again, I’m just running into that across Japan. Uh but they do have a smaller three-story pagota that you do want to not miss that most people I notice aren’t going to when they come to visit this. So you do have two of them. You got the big one, which of course right now is under renovation, but you got the smaller one as well, so you don’t miss out. Plus, every minute or so, they do this kind of like um gong belt that just is absolutely really cool. You just sit there and you’re like, and it’s just so powerful. Absolutely powerful. So, but anyway, yeah, this is the first temple to visit when you’re here in N. So, we got our first deer sighting. As you can see right there, that little fawn right there. Oh, you can hear his cry, too. He’s super cute. Uh, mom’s a little bit up the hill, but uh yeah, absolutely fantastic. This is so cool. So, as you head towards the deer park here in N. I mean, there’s multiple places where you can go ahead and get these crackers, which are for them. Uh, but there is a little shop here right next to uh I think it’s Susawa Eh Pond Park. So definitely go ahead, wherever you can get them, make sure you get these crackers cuz this is your key to success with the deer and this is so cool. There’s like literally a herd right here behind me. Just absolutely fantastic. And some of them look pretty young. So, this is just wow. And when occasionally you hear them do their little cries, it’s just fantastic. So, a couple of things I’ve noted as walking through Nara Deer Park. First and foremost, watch what you’re stepping on, cuz you could very easily step on quite a bit of deer droppings, shall we say, but also depending on what time of the day that you come here. If you’re here mid-afternoon, where like almost everybody else is already here, a lot of these deer have probably already eaten. So, not all of them will take the crackers necessarily from you. Not all of them also bow. I noticed the older ones seem to know how to do it. The younger ones haven’t fully yet learned, at least not all of them, depending on how young the thorns are. So, it’s just kind of something to take note of. But even still, it is a fantastic experience whether you’re here by yourself or with the family. It’s a great great place to kind of just really enjoy these natural deer. Now, remember also these are wild animals. They’re used to people, but they are still wild animals. And particularly if you’re here during mating season, which is actually when we’re here is um during the autumn, the males can be aggressive if they think that you are encroaching on, you know, their ladies and stuff like that. So, just be aware of that and be respectful of the deer when you’re here at N. Hello friends. I don’t know if you’re going to bow. Oh, well done. Yep. Oh, good. Good job. Thank you. Oh, hello. Do you want one as well? Hang on. I’ve got one, too. Shall we? Oh, you see it? Bow. Oh, thank you. Well, you know what you want, don’t you? Well done. Good job. You, my friends, you definitely get a cracker. Look at you. You are adorable. Yeah. Hello, little one. Thank you. I’m going to give it to you in little pieces cuz you’re a little one. Yeah, there you go. Oh, good job. Oh, hello. Hello. Can I get a bow from you as well? Yes. Uh-oh. I’m being swarmed. Oh, jeez. Oh, good lord. Sorry, little one. You just got Oh my goodness. There’s so many of them now. So, of course, the Nara Deer Park is mostly about the deer, but take some time to look at some of these trees. Like, this one behind me is absolutely wild. I got to know how old this thing is with all of its branch offs. It’s just absolutely phenomenal. There are things here that are just h fant. The deer are amazing, but there’s also natural parts of this park that are just so cool. All right, so we’re stopping at a little tea house just outside of the botanical gardens here uh in Nar Park just to get a little bit of tea and just a little bite. And what’s really cool is they’ve got this little um stuff little pastry that looks in the shape of a deer. This is awesome. So, let’s go and try. I’m not exactly sure what’s in here. Oh, I think it’s um I think it’s this is very similar to like the doryaki cuz I think that’s chestnut in there. Yeah, that’s definitely the chestnut in there. It’s actually very very nice. And of course, thanks. If you’re at a tea house, you got to have the matcha tea. Very good matcha tea. So after you’re done with your tea set or before your tea set, coming into the Mano Botanical Gardens is just absolutely fantastic. They’ve got like this epic arching. I don’t know if it’s like a beach tree or something like that that just kind of expands over the pond here. They’ve got almost kind of like an old style warehouse. Um that is just the this whole layout of this botanical gardens here at the Mano Botanical Gardens is just really nice. Particularly with the pond and the trees and the setting. There’s not as many flowers, at least not at this time of the year cuz I’m here again like I’m here the second week of October and it’s still warm but it’s not yet autumn. So, the leaves haven’t changed, but the kind of summer and spring flowers have started to wilt. So, kind of in a weird area, but even still, the greenery, the trees, the backdrop of the ponds in the river is just absolutely fantastic. So on the east side of Nar Park is our second shrine/temple that we’re visiting and this is a Shinto shrine known as Kasuga Taisha. This is probably one of the I haven’t been to Tojai yet, but this is probably one of the most impressive compounds I’ve seen on this whole trip to uh Japan so far. It is absolutely amazing. It’s in the middle or like it’s at the very edge of a Kasuyama primeval forest. There’s even kind of like a Tory gate that basically leads into the forest. Uh which is awesome. It’s really really cool. Uh, but the legend of this shrine, I think, goes back to the first kami of Kasugatisha, which is Takami Kazuchi. I think I got that right. Apparently, he rode on the back of a white deer to the top of Mount Masa uh back in 17 or 768, excuse me. And this is such a cool place. It’s got, of course, the deer just like a lot of other places around Nar. the deer just kind of like wander through. But the shrine itself uh is known for its many lanterns. And this has got to look really cool at night when it’s all lit up. But even still, the backdrop of the primeval forest, the deer itself, and then of course just the beauty of the shrine, and just how big it is, too. It is massive. Uh the main grounds um that you kind of walk through are free to come uh and walk through. The inner shrine and sanctuary is about 700 yen to get into. And there’s also about like 3,000 of these like stone lanterns that kind of guide all the paths. It’s definitely impressive. I got to I am rather impressed with N particularly when it comes to basically just being able to walk around. You can spend a whole day just in N Park. Between the deer and the shrines and temples to just within the park itself and the wooded trails, you can spend pretty much almost a whole day just here. And this doesn’t include the rest of Nara. It is very, very impressive. Heat. Heat. So the third and final temple that we’ll be visiting in this video of N is Toaii temple. And if you think about the other two that we were at, this in grandeur and scale dwarfs those two. It’s just I mean from the size of the the gates to the temple itself to the massive Buddha, the great Buddha of N inside there. It’s just absolutely amazing. It’s almost like, you know, this is showcases the affluence and power at the time. And this was built around the same time as the other two in the 8th century, 7th 8th centuries. Uh, and this, I think it was 752 AD was when this was originally uh, opened up. And of course, it wasn’t at the scale it is now. But even still, what it has become over the centuries is just absolutely amazing. It is wild how big that place is and particularly that Buddha even like the side Buddhas and the side kind of like statues that you have there are fantastic but the Buddha the central Buddha the great Buddha of Nar itself is just wow absolutely amazing and it’s about 800 yen to get into the inner um temple the grounds just like all the others are free to wander around but it’s well worth it to go inside cuz you definitely got to see the big Buddha. All right. So, it has been a day of just going around and seeing those three awesome temples, h spending all that time with the deer. That was awesome. It’s time to get something a little bit drink and eat. And I realized since particularly this is the last video we’ll be doing in Japan on this particular trip, I hadn’t actually done an actual brewery. So, we have stopped here at Yamato Brewery here uh in N. And I figured, you know what? We’re going to do a little beer tasting. So, we got a nice flight of four beers. We’re going to start with their pale ale. So, comp you guys. That’s actually light for a pale ale. It’s not super hoppy. Very nice. Easy on the bitter. The second is going to be a seaison. So, cheers to you guys. Interestingly enough, that’s got a little bit more um bite and a little bit more hop on the front end, but it’s very clear, very smooth on the back end. So, that’s very, very good. We’re going to skip over to the IPA because I I always finish with the stout. So, we’ll do the IPA next. Okay, that’s pretty close to a West Coast AK. Not as hoppy, but it does have kind of like that bitter, slightly fruit taste to it. It’s actually very, very good. And then, of course, the last one here on the flight menu, and that is the stout. Okay, that’s good. That’s good stuff. That is it. It’s a little stronger than I would call a Guinness. Um, it’s a little bit heavier, but that’s nice. That’s got like some coffee, a little bit of caramel in there. That’s That’s fantastic. Okay. And our main dish has arrived for me. And that is here. Nice steaming hot plate of a pork rib that is marinated in the beer. Oh, it smells good. It is sizzling. It is hot. I have been walking all day and haven’t really had much. We had a light breakfast and then I had a couple of snacks throughout the day. So, that was about it. So, try this real quick. Ooh, that’s a nice marinade. Little sweetness to it, but the pork is super tender. That is Oh, absolutely fantastic. Let me get sort of this kind of fatty side part real quick. Oh yeah, that’s good pork. It’s not traditional by any means when you think of traditional Japanese cuisine, but the flavor is on par. All righty, Travel Dons, that was our day out and Nale of this particular trip to Japan. Don’t worry, I plan to come back here real soon. But after this, we’re heading off to South Korea to continue this Asia trip. It has been awesome. Japanos, thank you so much for everything. And until we meet again, I cannot wait. The food was phenomenal. The temples, the shrines, the culture, the people, everything was absolutely fantastic. But I am ready for the next adventure. So, if you guys like this video, give it a big old thumbs up and of course, subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. Hit that notification bell so you know when any of my new stuff comes out. And of course, if you want to help support the travel channel and of course get some exclusive merch, head over to my Patreon page. You’re going to get these videos well in advance from when they come out. So, definitely go and check that out and I will see you guys on the next time. Peace out and have a great night.

Welcome to the city of Nara! Home to the famous Nara Park and the Famous Nara Deer that roam within it. Nara Park is a sprawling 1600 Acre park, when adding in Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga Shrine. Known for the famous Nara Deer. These cute and greedy little buggers, will look at you with their big doe eyes and respectfully bow you, all in the hope that you carry with you some special crackers to fill their gluttonous stomachs.

Truly Nara Japan is a marvel to behold. Aside from the famous deer, the Park itself backs into a Primeval Forest that just feels spiritual. The beautiful nature of Kasuga Shrine with it’s 3000 stone lanterns and it’s colorful architecture, are a stunning backdrop to the forest.

The Majesty of Todai-ji Temple and of course the Big Buddha of Nara are something that must be witnessed first hand. Whether it’s ancient history or beautiful nature of Nara Park, Nara is a must on any Japan Travel Tour.
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