Beware of Deer

Although ToDaiJi, the "Big East Temple" of Nara, the capital that immediately preceded Kyoto, is unquestionably the major landmark and attraction of its constituent site, the natural population of wild deer that congregate in and around the site are apparently of significant cultural value, as Japanese lore indicates deer as the first creatures to communicate and follow the teachings of the Buddha. From the great profusion of these deer has emerged a delicate pas-de-deux between unwary visitors brimming with excitement at the prospect of interacting with deer that lack the usual skittishness, and the deer themselves, who are weirdly aggressive and easily provoked by the prospect of food.

Visitors expend an extensive amount of time petting and feeding the deer and discovering an undue response of violence, particularly when food is not distributed quickly. Nearly all of the vendors who have set up shop along the North-South axis of the temple's main way sell bundled packages of deer biscuits, which tourists and local visitors alike gleefully purchase in hopes of prolonging their ability to command the attention of hordes of ravenous deer. Much to the dismay of these over-enthused visitors, the deer are prone to a list of unsavory behaviors, which occur frequently on warning signs distributed in variety throughout the site: