Member-only story
Last Updated: Jun 21, 2024
Nara Prefecture
Far More than Just the Famous Deer Park
“While this article was originally written during the pandemic, all of the locations and information featured are still valid…”
Greetings readers! I hope you’re all safe and staying sane. As I write this, most of the world is currently on lockdown. Legally, Japan cannot mandate that everyone stay home yet the governor of Tokyo has requested all to refrain from any unnecessary outings. Furthermore, voiding any such request in place, my unfamiliar foreign visage would likely terrify anyone in rural regions. After all, foreign visitors to Japan were down as much as 94 percent in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a dark time indeed for the tourism industry and my heart breaks when I think of all the local vendors whose income is entirely dependent on travelers.
Tragically, there’s little I can do for the time being to help the market other than continue to produce content for when we can all hit the road once again. So, on that note, we’ll be attempting to cover ALL of Nara Prefecture in the following paragraphs. While typically a tad ambitious for a single article, I am stuck at home just like you with ample time to kill. Given the recent increase in articles calling for “virtual tourism,” it seems like we could all use a bit of escapism. That said, this is going to be a real doozy of a piece. Do yourself a favor and pour a cup of your favorite liquid addiction (mine’s strong black coffee) now before continuing on.
OK, so… Nara. Not exactly what you’d call an off the beaten path destination right? Well, yes and no. You see, most visitors to the prefecture make a beeline only for the ever-popular Nara Park. Famous for its bowing deer and awe-inspiring Daibutsu (lit. “massive Buddha”), this is not an attraction I’d ever suggest you skip out on. In fact, one of my favorite Shinto shrines of all time, the venerable Kasuga Taisha, can be found within Nara Park. Alas, there is much more to Nara than simply its iconic esplanade but sadly, few overseas guests ever experience the prefecture’s other treasures.
