Nara Deer Park, Bowing Sacred Sika Deer & Mount Wakakusayama

Category: Sacred Wildlife & Historic Park | Location: Noborioji-cho, Nara 630-8213 (5-minute walk from East Exit of Kintetsu Nara Station)

Encompassing over 660 expansive hectares across the gentle foothills of Mount Wakakusayama in central Nara, Nara Park is a globally celebrated wildlife sanctuary where over 1,300 wild, free-roaming Sika deer (Cervus nippon) mingle harmoniously with pilgrims and travelers. According to sacred Shinto lore dating back to 768 AD, the celestial deity Takemikazuchi arrived from Mount Miwa riding upon the back of a sacred white deer to enshrine himself at Kasuga Taisha, decreeing that all deer in Nara be venerated as divine messengers (Shinroku)—a sacred status preserved today under Japanese law as a National Natural Monument. The delightful trademark that captivates international visitors is the deer’s famous bowing etiquette: when approached with a packet of official "Shika-senbei" (healthy mineral-rich deer crackers crafted from rice bran and wheat flour sold for ¥200 per stack) and a gentle head nod, these intelligent creatures politely bow their heads repeatedly in graceful supplication before gently accepting their treat. Beyond deer encounters, visitors can ascend the sweeping grassy slopes of 342-meter Mount Wakakusayama for breathtaking 360-degree vistas across the entire historic Yamato plain, photograph tranquil reflections along the willowed perimeter of Sarusawa Pond mirroring Kofuku-ji Temple’s Five-Story Pagoda, or immerse themselves in the untouched ancient primeval cedar forest of Kasugayama.