Nara is a very nice town that has capitalized on the fact that the popular Nara deer reside there. Nara deer are known for being aggressive and mildly molesting humans in their pursuit of treats. As far as I can tell, one reason people still visit the deer is because the deer bow to you if you bow to them—- before they begin demanding their treats.
It takes about 25 minutes to walk to Nara Kouen from the Nara Station. Some of it is uphill, but it is not very steep. There is also a bus you can take if you pay. From the shopping opportunities on the way, my impression was that Nara is proud of their deer and their persimmons.
Entry to Nara Park is free. The deer should only be fed sugar-free deer cookies, which cost a modest JP¥200 a set and are sold at multiple locations.
If you choose to feed the deer, you should be aware that deer do recognize the cookies and will follow you. Even if you do not have cookies, some hungry deer will desperately bow multiple times as you pass in hopes of a treat.
Deer may also act aggressive. The people in my group were bit on the arm, clothes, and bags by deer disappointed that they did not get all of the cookies. I did not feed the deer because I started sneezing shortly after arriving in the Nara Kouen and concluded that I was probably allergic to something related to the deer and did not need to attract them to me. The most deer following any one person in my group at once was 7, if you included a fawn who was irately trying to drink milk from a doe who was following for cookies.
We also witnessed a deer attacking and robbing a tourist who had eaten a banana and placed the peel in a trash bag. The deer was very pleased with its banana peel and ignored the trash bag stuck on its horns. When the humans nearby tried to offer him cookies, he only ate his banana peel prize faster.
The deer will be in the park during tourist hours, probably because they know there are snacks to be found. From what I read online, they leave once the tourists are gone.
Some conservationists are concerned that the deer are growing fat and too accustomed to humans. The second part is a safety concern for both deer and humans. On a related note, the antlers of the Nara deer are trimmed every year, according to an informational poster.
There are several eateries in the park itself, and several have vegetarian options. I headed for Ryubido, a Japanese dessert place, and would consider the Amato-san (JP¥1190) I had to be excellent! I do not like matcha flavor very much, but this ice cream mixed with the other components— warm red bean paste, soy bean flour, warabi mochi, salty rice crackers, and syrup— so well taste-wise.
I also tried sushi wrapped in a persimmon leaf. It is supposedly another specialty of Nara. It is one of those things where presentation is the key bit. I thought the flavor was no better or worse than similar salty sushi not in a persimmon leaf, but it does look pretty. A set of 2 mackerel and 1 salmon cost— actually now that I read the receipt, I think they accidentally charged me only the JP¥480 for 3 mackerel sushi.
I bought a deer head-decoration for my younger relatives. The ears go up if you squeeze the air pocket ends. I saw multiple groups of schoolchildren wearing these and playing with their deer ears.
Edit: The deer ears were, indeed, quite popular with the young ones. My 2-year-old was very excited to make the ears go up and down.
