Lions and Tigers and DEER oh my!

 Sep 7, 2025

We met our guide, Harry, at Kyoto Station and climbed aboard a luxury coach bus. There were only nine of us on the tour but the bus was HUGE, and even had a bathroom. We were living the high life.

Our first stop was Nara Park, home to more than 1,000 free-roaming sika deer. According to Shinto tradition, the deity Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara riding a white deer, making the animals sacred messengers of the gods. They've been protected ever since and have become one of Japan's most beloved symbols. Fun fact, they sold tiny white deer here, so Evan and I bought one and it had a fortune rolled up in its mouth. Harry read it to us and what he said was quite nice (but maybe he just tells everyone they have a good fortune because they don't know any better?)

Inside the park local women sold special deer crackers called shika senbei, and the second you cracked open the package, the deer descended. I barely had time to react before I was completely surrounded. One even nipped at my dress! Everyone had told us the deer would bow before asking for food, but ours apparently missed that memo. At one point we watched two bucks lower their heads and charge at each other. (thank goodness their horns had been removed) Harry reminded us that it was mating season which explains their aggressive behavior and lack of manners. Later on, after all my crackers were gone and the deer had dispersed, I tried telecommunicating with a deer to get it to bow. I really thought it was going to work. Spoiler alert, it did not. 

After the stress of the park we needed a little zen in our lives. Cue Tōdai-ji Temple, home to one of the largest bronze Buddha statues in the world. Even after visiting Thailand and seeing countless impressive Buddhas, Evan and I both agreed this one was pretty cool. Standing nearly 50 feet tall inside the world's largest wooden building, the Great Buddha immediately draws your eyes upward. Historians estimate that when it was built in the 8th century, nearly half of Japan's population contributed labor or resources toward its construction.

The temple is also home to statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardians of the cardinal directions. Time and multiple fires have taken their toll, so while two remain standing in full form, the other two survive mostly as enormous carved heads.

One of the temple's most popular attractions is far less grand: a wooden pillar with a hole carved through its base that's said to be the same size as one of the Buddha's nostrils. Legend says that anyone who can squeeze through the opening will be blessed with good health, enlightenment, or good luck. We watched a steady stream of children wiggle their way through. But what was even funnier to watch were the adults who thought they could fit through the hole. Most of them ended up getting stuck and had to be pulled out by their arms or legs from the other people waiting in line. No thanks. 

After lunch, which featured tempura, boiled tofu, duck, giant shrimp, and a variety of traditional side dishes, we visited Byōdō-in Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose famous Phoenix Hall appears on the back of Japan's 10-yen coin. (I know what you're thinking, but they're talking about the actual coin, not the cheese stuffed waffle version) The accompanying museum houses centuries-old Buddhist artifacts and an enormous temple bell.

Our final stop before heading back to Kyoto was a matcha workshop. The owner came from a family that had been producing matcha for generations, and he was incredibly passionate about his craft. Throughout the demonstration he proudly reminded us, "My matcha. My matcha. My family," so often that by the end of the tour it had become our unofficial slogan for the afternoon.

We got to grind tea leaves into fine powder and used it to make the matcha. I'll admit, neither I nor the woman sitting next to me were particularly enthusiastic matcha drinkers, but the owner was watching us with such pride that there was no way we were leaving a single drop behind. We smiled, complimented our tea, and dutifully finished every sip before wandering down the nearby shopping street, where every other storefront seemed to be selling, you guessed it, more matcha.

Back in Kyoto, we stopped to visit our tried and true spot, Don Quijote, because we hadn't shown it any love in a few days. After dropping our purchases at the hotel, we headed to Izakaya Hyuma, a tiny restaurant with just nine seats. However, they are so close together that if people are sitting in the seats on one side of the restaurant then the people on the other side of the restaurant need to stand and vice versa. Luckily the people on the other side left not long after we arrived so we got to open the stools and take a seat on our side. We made friends with Jin and Hyuma the masters behind the grill.

We ordered some of our favorites—chicken thigh and green onion skewers—along with cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant dengaku, grilled rice balls, and then decided to become a bit more adventurous by working our way through everything the chicken had to offer. Chicken skin, chicken neck, chicken balls, chicken wings. If they served it, we figured we should at least try it. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Although we had eaten our fill of chicken, we were still craving something sweet, so we wandered into a lively bar nearby for dessert.  The chocolate cake, cocoa-dusted chocolate squares, and tempura banana topped with caramel and vanilla ice cream completely made my night. After all, we hadn't really had any desserts in Japan since we'd gotten here. While enjoying our spread of sweets, we met a traveler named Jacob, who was enjoying a beer while his girlfriend, Simone, recovered from food poisoning back at the hotel. An interesting strategy, but to each their own.

On our walk back we stopped at two liquor stores in search of a special Japanese whisky for a certain brother-in-law. Unfortunately, our quest came up empty. But we'll keep trying! 

We also stumbled upon a vinyl bar along the river that looked incredible, but it had just closed for the night (and it was only 10pm!). They sure do turn in early in Kyoto. But, by 10:30, we were back at our hotel, fast asleep. We clearly fit right in.