We had a layover of sorts in Nara. I thought it would be a great idea to walk over to see Daibutsu (giant Buddha statue) in Todaiji Temple. I’ve visited it several times over the years and thought it would be interesting for my son.
We exited the train station and started walking toward the temple. It’s only 1.9 km from the Kintetsu station, so we tried to walk quickly. Our limited express train was leaving in 40 minutes. Since we paid for special tickets (assigned seating and limited stops), we wanted to make sure that we were on our train.
The hill up to Todaiji Temple doesn’t seem excessively steep, but it makes the journey just a bit more strenuous. Our son was trying to keep up, however, he was very distracted and excited to see all the deer in the park. He really wanted to feed them. There are vendors scattered around selling crackers to feed them for ¥150.
After purchasing the crackers, we were accosted by several large deer, ready for their snacks. It reminded me of children when they find out you have gummies. The big difference is that kids don’t start nibbling on your clothes.
After being accosted, we realized that we needed to walk quickly away from the vendors. They didn't follow us because the deer are all just looking for the easiest meal. They aren’t interested in chasing people in the least.
My son kept an eye out for young deer, fully believing they were gentler than the adults.
After a couple short stops to feed the friendly shika (deer), my husband indicated we needed to turn back. It had taken us 20 minutes to walk 1.5 km. There was no way we were going to make it.
I felt disappointed that we were unable to see the Daibutsu. But it didn’t matter to our son. He was happy getting to feed the deer in the park. Sometimes I need a small reminder that just enjoying the moment is more important than seeing all the historical sights or checking things off a task list. And, frankly, feeding deer is probably much more memorable for a 5 year old than visiting a statue anyway.
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