Deer Enjoy Cherry Blossoms In An Empty Park In Nara, Japan

(TMU) – Famous for its temples and free roaming Sika Deer, Nara Park, established in 1880, is one of the oldest parks in Japan. Located in the city of Nara, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, Nara Park is one of the ‘Places of Scenic Beauty’, as designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The more than 1,200 wild, free roaming Sika deer in the park are classified as natural treasures and also under designation of MEXT.

Sika deer from the area were considered sacred after, according to local folklore, a visit from Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine, who appeared on Mount Wakakusa riding a white deer. Killing one of these sacred deer was a capital offense punishable by death until 1637.

The deer where officially stripped from their sacred status after World War II, and designated as national treasures and are protected as such. Visitors to the park can buy specially made ‘deer crackers’ to feed the deer in the park, which they do in large numbers.

Nara Park covers 660 acres and visitors flock to the park, not only for the deer but also for the historic temples, and in April, particularly for its beautiful cherry blossoms, which, with over 1700 cherry trees in the park, is quite a sight to behold and a particular favorite spot for photographs.

While now is not the time for travel due to the global pandemic, the number of tourists who would usually buy deer crackers to feed the deer dropped drastically at the beginning of March and locals stayed home and observed social distancing. The deer, used to being fed the biscuit treats, starting leaving the park and roamed the streets looking for food. But in April, with spring in the air, more people went to visit the park and the deer returned to their natural home, in full bloom.

Japanese photographer, Kazuki Ikeda, shared video footage of the Sika deer enjoying the peace and beauty of the cherry trees in bloom on social media and people all over the world absolutely loved it.

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✨ ・ #コロナが終息したら
ぜひ奈良に来てください。 それまでは・・・ #おうちで奈良旅 で奈良の風景を楽しんでください。 ・ ✨ #前撮りアイテム #2021春婚 #2020夏婚 #2020秋婚 #2020冬婚 #2020プレ花嫁 #2020花嫁 #2020結婚 #2020結婚式

A post shared by 和装前撮り・結婚式カメラマンのキキフォトワークス (@kikiphotoworks) on Apr 22, 2020 at 7:58pm PDT

Ikeda was actually in the park that day for a photo shoot to take beautiful photographs of a couple before their wedding and took a video of the deer enjoying the peace and quiet under the cherry blossoms. In spite of the stunning pictures he took of the couple, for the internet users, the deer definitely stole the show.

By sharing his videos and photographs of his beautiful city and the park’s amazing scenery on his social media accounts, Ikeda hopes to encourage people to visit Nara as soon as possible once the coronavirus threat has passed, so they can enjoy being in nature again.

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✨ ・ ・ 今日の前撮りの場所は奈良公園でした。 インスタのアカウント 色々あります。 フォロー&コメント 飛び上がって喜びます。 Instagram account. There is a lot going on. Follow & Comment I jump up and down for joy. 和装　 Kimono @kikiphotoworks プライベート Private photo @kikiphotoworks_kazuki_ikeda お宮参り Baby shrine visit @kikiphotoworks_miyamairi 七五三家族写真 Kimono kids And family @kikiphotoworks_753family ドレス Dress photo @kikiphotoworks_dress 癒しのイラスト Funny illustration @kikiphotoworks_illustration This video is Nara Park when the cherry blossoms are in bloom I went to shoot a couple of pre-wedding photos. 這段視頻是奈良公園，櫻花盛開時，我拍了幾張婚紗照。 이 비디오는 벚꽃이 피었을 때 나라 공원입니다. 저는 웨딩 사진 몇 장을 찍었습니다. Questo video è Nara Park quando i fiori di ciliegio sono in fiore Sono andato a scattare un paio di foto prima del matrimonio. Este video es Nara Park cuando las flores de cerezo están en flor Fui a tomar un par de fotos antes de la boda. Cette vidéo est Nara Park lorsque les fleurs de cerisier sont en fleurs. Je suis allé prendre quelques photos avant le mariage. Este vídeo é o Nara Park, quando as flores de cerejeira estão florescendo, fui fazer algumas fotos antes do casamento. Это видео – Нара Парк, когда цветут вишни. Я пошел снять пару фотографий перед свадьбой. ・ ・ ? #私は奈良派 #前撮り髪型 #前撮りアイテム #2021春婚 #2020夏婚 #2020秋婚 #2020冬婚 #2020プレ花嫁 #2020花嫁 #2020結婚 #2020結婚式 #さくら?
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A post shared by 和装前撮り・結婚式カメラマンのキキフォトワークス (@kikiphotoworks) on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:59am PDT