Japan 02: Bowing deer, bamboo forest, and vermillion Torii gates
Sprinting through Nara and Kyoto's tourist spots in one day. And, buying all the freshly ground matcha along the way.
Running through Kyoto to catch our bus, praying to the gods it has not left yet, reminded me why I don’t join organized group tours. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them but I prefer planning my own itinerary rather than being rushed from one tourist spot to the next.
In my 15 years of traveling, I’ve only ever joined two group tours. The first was in 2024 in South Korea, to visit the filming location of BTS’ show In The Soop. This Kyoto and Nara trip was the second time. We were a group of 7, with my partner’s family joining us, and decided a group tour would be the most convenient option. It was easy to just hop on and off the bus at every location, no fuss in planning routes and booking tickets involved.
As I mentioned in the previous article, this Japan trip was like a sprint—so in a way, a group tour fit the vibe perfectly.
Feeding sika deer at Nara Park
Cold, crisp morning air and excited deer greeted us as we alighted the tour bus at Nara Park or 奈良公園 (Nara Kōen) in Japanese. This was the first of many stops for the day.
Nara Park is vast, serene, and famously known for their pride, the sika deer. Back in the day, the deer were considered to be sacred as messengers for the gods in the Shinto faith. Now, they are designated a protected national treasure in Japan and can roam freely around the park.
Before interacting with the deer, we bought deer crackers or shika senbei from one of the stands in the area. The tour guides gave us some tips to keep ourselves and the deer safe:
Only feed them the crackers, nothing else - the deer can’t digest human food! The shika senbei are made of wheat flour and rice bran and are sugar-free. It is safe for the deer to consume.
When the deer crackers are finished, raise and wave your hands to show it’s empty - otherwise, the deer would follow you around and boop their head and antlers on you. They can be aggressive and impatient, but they will leave when they see you empty-handed.
When you bow, the deer bow too - they are very polite, but in exchange, the deer expect their snacks.
Coming here was a fun and unique experience. But, I can’t help but wonder if the deer are safe and healthy with all that human interaction and deer crackers. From our short visit, it looks like a much better environment than usual petting zoos or other exploitative activities like the controversial whale shark feeding in Cebu, Philippines. An hour there couldn’t really answer the questions swimming in my head: is this ethical?, is there any long-term impact? can eating too many crackers ruin their diet? As someone who works in the climate and sustainability field, my mind naturally drifts to these thoughts especially when traveling.
My take — whether you are just looking or feeding the deer, their habitat should be respected and treated with care. There are also other things to do and visit in park, like the Tōdaiji Temple, Kōfuku-ji Temple, the Nara National Museum. We missed these locations though, because we were freezing and chose to warm up in the Starbucks nearby.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
From Nara, the bus transported us to Kyoto. At around noon, Arashiyama was buzzing with tourists and, unfortunately for us, it started drizzling. Our group gathered near the parking lot and we all collectively tried to follow our tour guide’s flag to the entrance of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.
Walking through the grove of tall bamboo trees, listening to the sound of the bamboos dancing in the wind, and the smell of the rain — it was beautiful, calming and healing. I loved it!! However, it was not as tranquil as it could probably be at 7 in the morning.
With our limited time, we kinda had to speed walk out of the forest and find a place for lunch. Luckily, we stumbled upon Kijurou and they had free seats! We ordered their wagyu bento box and it was so nice to have something warm on a cold day.
Apart from seeing the bamboo forest, I had another goal in Kyoto — to buy fresh ground matcha! There were plenty of shops to get matcha but the one I wanted to go, Sumida Kouseien Tea Shop, only opens in the afternoon and long after we’ve left. Luckily, there were other shops selling matcha in all forms in Arashiyama: Hatoya Ryoyousha, Kumonocha Cafe, Fukujuen, and Arabica. When Kyoto, matcha is a must! And yes, I bought a lot.
We almost missed our bus here by a few minutes, thankfully they waited for our family!
Walking through the Torii gates
The amount of people at the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine was insane. Both pilgrims and tourists were flocking there. Upon entering, we saw people praying, writing their wishes, and taking their paper fortunes.
There were throngs of people on a single file trekking under the vermillion Torii gates. There is an option to climb up to the summit or turn back around. The further you go, of course, the quieter and more peaceful it would be — if you’re not part of a tour group like us, keep going, many people in the crowd turn around somewhere in the middle because of the limited time, and the top is a lot less crowded.
The shrine is open early in the morning and until late evening. It might be better to go during those hours to fully experience Fushimi Inari.
Before heading back to our bus, we stopped by one of the food stalls right by the entrance for snacks! The grilled skewered Kobe beef, wagyu, and shrimps were quite expensive but I was starving!
Takeaways
If we had more days in Japan, I would break this itinerary to 2 or 3 days and stay a few nights in Kyoto. It is a beautiful place brimming with Japanese culture, tradition, and nature. I’m already planning on coming back to Japan and spending more time in Kyoto… maybe this year?!
As for the group tour… it was the right decision for our group! We were rushed but were still able to explore areas we would have otherwise missed. It is not for travelers who prefer to go slow, savor, and immerse in a place. But, for people with limited vacation days and paid-time offs, there really is no shame in joining one to see your dream destinations.
I loved Kyoto and was so grateful to live there for a month. It does get crowded but there are plenty of gorgeous temples and areas not on the usual route where it remains calm and quiet.