The Art of Deer-Feeding in Nara: A quick stop between Kyoto and Osaka

Rather than making our travel days, well, all about travel, we decided to pay a visit to Nara en route from Kyoto to Osaka. After all, we’d forwarded our luggage direct to Osaka from Tokyo so we were travelling light anyway. And Nara is handily located between the two cities, making a day trip easy-peasy.

We visited Nara in between Kyoto and Osaka – the final stop on our long-awaited Japan trip. You can view all the rest of my Japan content here – and there’s a lot to share!

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Japan’s first ancient capital, Nara is a charming city, packed with history, nature and culture. Oh, and deer. So many deer. On this short visit we prioritise the famous free-roaming deer, but with 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Nara there’s more to see if you have longer to spare. It’s location between Kyoto and Osaka makes it an ideal day trip if you’re basing yourself in either city, or it’s perfect for a transit day stop. Which is exactly what we did.

How to get to Nara from downtown Kyoto (or from Osaka!)

There are two main train stations in Nara, but Kintetsu-Nara is closest to the famed Nara Park. It takes around 50 minutes by train from Shijo Station (the closest station to our hotel, the Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei in Nakagyo) to Kintetsu-Nara Station, changing at Takeda to the Kintetsu-Kyoto Line. If you’re staying near Kyoto Station, you can catch the Kintetsu Limited Express direct; this takes 35 minutes but the route is not fully covered by the SUICA card.

If you’re travelling from Osaka, you can catch the direct Kintetsu-Nara Line train from Osaka-Namba Station. The journey takes about 40 minutes.

A Suica (IC) Card is the most convenient way of getting around Japan. We topped up direct from our iPhones and were able to simply tap in and out to access rail and subway lines. No waiting in line for ticket machines! Some limited express trains – like the Kintetsu Limited Express between Kyoto/Osaka and Nara – require an additional ticket.

We store our backpacks in the storage lockers at Kintetsu-Nara Station. The lockers closest to the platform filled up early. but there were plenty of empty lockers on the B1 Basement Level. Our locker was ¥500 (around £2.50) and comfortably fit both backpacks.

Oh Deer

After a quick coffee stop at Rokumei Coffee, it’s time to go deer-hunting. In the nicest possible way of course. The huge Nara Park is home to over a thousand wild sika deer, considered sacred messengers of the gods in Shinto belief. Vendors sell shika senbei (deer crackers) for around ¥200, the proceeds of which go to a deer protection foundation. It’s completely free of charge to visit Nara Park so it’s an ideal activity if you’re on a budget!

The park itself is just a short walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station, but for the best deer-greeting opportunities you’ll want to head further into Nara Park. Apparently these deer are friendlier and less aggresive. Let’s see.

The art of deer-feeding in Nara Park

There are some very specific skills required in the art of deer-feeding in Nara Park. YouTube videos show single deer, politely bowing and waiting patiently to receive a cracker. My reality however went something like this:

• Purchase deer crackers. Already there are deer sniffing around, but the vendor has given me strict instructions to feed them only in the park. No-one appears to have given the deer the same instructions. They are following me around like I’m the Pied Piper.
• Hide deer crackers inside cardigan.
• Try to remove crackers from their paper packaging with a single hand. Wonder if the packaging is edible
• Accidentally crumble several crackers
• Leave a trail of crackers from the bottom of my cardie. The deer have caught wind of this and are already forming a not-so-orderly queue behind me.
• Look for a suitable pretty spot to complete my Snow White impression and commune with the forest animals
• Whisk out half a cracker, only to be assaulted by a giant male deer. He doesn’t seem to have got the memo about politely bowing and waiting patiently
• Throw a cracker in the distance, hoping to fool the giant male deer so I can concentrate on feeding the other, less forthright deer
• Not a single deer is politely bowing or waiting patiently. They are all sticking their head inside my cardie
• Giant male deer is not fooled. He decides to give me a gentle nudge from behind.
• When gentle nudge does not draw my attention, he gives me more of a shove. I have a dirty deer headprint on my backside.
• Give up trying to dole out crackers one by one. Giant male deer is trying to eat my hand.
• Throw the crumbs into the air, like a shower of confetti at a wedding
• Extricate deer from my cardigan. One deer nose is in my bag. Eats the hidden cracker packaging. Really do hope its edible.

(Post-trip research tells me that thankfully, the deer cracker packaging is indeed edible).

One of the things we sadly dropped from our Nara itinerary was the Ikoma Cable Car which takes passengers up to a cute amusement park with amazing views. But it was the cable car carriages themselves I really wanted to see – they’re shaped like cats and dogs! Maybe next time?

How to get to Osaka from Nara

Back at Kintetsu-Nara station, we catch the Kintetsu-Nara Line train to Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station, a 6 minute walk from our Osaka hotel. The journey takes about 45 minutes. If you’re staying in Umeda, you can transfer to the Midosuji Line from Osaka-Namba Station.

Is it worth visiting Nara?

Nara was ideal as a transit day activity, as we were between hotel check-out and check-in times. I’m glad we didn’t take any time out of our Kyoto or Osaka itineraries to visit though. The park is very pretty, especially with its autumn colours on full display but unless you’re planning on also visiting some of the shrines and temples Nara only needs a couple of hours to explore at most.

Looking forward to Day 8 of our trip? We finally make it to Osaka – and on first impressions it’s very different from the culture and nature of Kyoto and Nara!

I try my hardest to keep the information in this travel guide up to date; however if you notice anything has changed please let me know! Happy travels, Emmalene