Nara is a short day trip from Osaka and a special little town that has free roaming deer that bow to you in exchange for crackers. This was definitely the most foreigners we’ve seen (with the exception of the airport). A word of caution though: the deer can get a bit aggressive especially if they think they can get away with it (i.e. with smaller kids and adults!).

Just past the deer park is the 10,000 lantern Shinto temple (Kasuga-taisha) which we managed to drag the kids through (most of it anyway). It was first built in 768 and, like most shrines, it gets completely rebuilt every twenty years so as not to lose the skills. (Overhearing a tour guide can be very informative!)

The moss-covered, stone lanterns are beautiful as they line the path to the shrine and even feature the famous deer.

The deer are an integral part of the shrine and wander as they please through this World Heritage site.

And, of course, no ancient Japanese shrine would be complete without an ancient vending machine…