Deer are a priority in Nara! The people of Nara Prefecture have coexisted with deer for over 1,300 years since the capital was moved to Heijo.
奈良県民と鹿の共生＜Coexistence of Nara Prefecture residents and deer.＞
In Nara, deer can be found outside Nara Park, in places like in front of train stations and residential areas.
Their activity range extends over 4km, centered on Nara Park.
All of Nara’s deer are wild and not kept by Nara prefecture.
About 1,300 deer make their home on Mt. Kasuga and Mt. Wakakusa, mountains near Nara Park, and descend the mountains with the morning sun.
In Nara Prefecture, there are many store names, product names, group names, school songs and more with deer as a motif, including over 30 mascot characters.
To the people of Nara prefecture, deer are messengers of the gods!
Therefore, deer have priority when it comes to traffic.
During citizen marathons, deer have the right of way when crossing the road, and time is secondary.
The people of Nara Prefecture have been living in symbiosis with the local people since the Nara period, about 1,300 years ago.
In Nara, care must be taken when leaving cherished plants or food deliveries in front of people’s homes.
＜Nara Deer Protection Society Secretary-General Yamazaki Nobuyuki’s comment＞
The people of Nara prefecture and deer have coexisted since the Nara period, approximately 1,300 years ago.
It is said that the god of Kasuga Shrine, an important shrine to the people of Nara prefecture, (Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto), rode on a white deer from Kashima-jingu Shrine in Ibaraki prefecture, and so deer are cherished as messengers of the gods.
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