Nara

Nara is overrun with two distinct Japanese faunae.

The first is the so-called "messengers of the gods" - sacred deer that are completely tame and quite insistent to be fed the crackers you can buy from local vendors.


Much more deadly are the roving bands of Japanese schoolchildren who have homework assignments of practicing their English on gaijin.


We're convinced that Japanese schools must be completely deserted since all the students are in Nara Park. The first three times we were "interviewed" it was amusing (and you get rewarded with a piece of origami) but then it really started to slow our progress through the park. Eventually our commute turned into a "Warriors"-esque odyssey as we weaved our way around packs of schoolchildren desperate to meet their quota.

Luckily, if you were clever you could capture the deer and the students in the same shot: