Hotels near Nara Park

Nara Park spreads across roughly 660 hectares at the foot of Mount Wakakusa and acts as the connective tissue for almost everything else on this list. About 1,200 wild sika deer live in it. They are not tame pets. They have been protected as national natural treasures since 1957, they are genuinely wild, and they will headbutt you if you hold food for too long. Vendors sell shika senbei, the flat rice crackers made for the deer, at 200 yen a bundle from stalls near Nandaimon Gate and along Noborioji-dori.

Bow to a deer and many of them bow back, a habit learned across generations of cracker transactions. Once you have fed them, show open palms so they understand the supply has run out. The park itself is free and never closes. Between 7am and 9am you get the deer, the reflections on Sagiike Pond and the paths toward Todai-ji without a single coach party. Cherry blossom peaks in early April. The maples turn from mid to late November.

Pro Tip: Buy the deer crackers last, not first. The moment you are holding a bundle the deer trail you in a pack and you will not get a clean photograph of anything else. Feed them near the Ukimido pavilion on Sagiike Pond, where the crowd density is far lower than at Nandaimon Gate.