Most of the numerous visitors to the Todaji Temple – located at the outskirts of Nara, Honshu – come on tourist buses from somewhere outside of Nara and don’t arrive until midday/early afternoon. It is then that the temple and its surrounding grounds and smaller temples become inundated. No doubt this situation has intensified during 2024, when tourism to Japan exploded. These photos were taken in the spring of 2023, shortly after Japan emerged from the Covid era. To have any chance of visiting the Todaji Temple with relatively few other tourists is first thing in the morning, which requires staying in Nara – it itself a worthwhile place to spend some time in.

After spending a morning at the Todaji temple, we spent a couple of days walking to the outskirts of Nara in various directions. Given how orderly Japanese traffic is, this was a pleasant pastime and a good way to get a closer look at how ordinary Japanese people live.

The Todaji Deer Park…….

The presence of hundreds of deer in the surrounding grounds of the Todaji complex is a great drawcard for the tourists and especially the children. 

That the deer have always been a part of the temple complex is attested to by these ancient columns inscribed with early Japanese scrift (borrowed from China) with carvings of deer at the bases. 

In mating season however Bambi is somewhat less friendly as these signs, posted around the Todaji grounds indicate…..