Largest Buddha & Bowing Deer in Nara, Japan (October 30, 2025)
Technically, it’s the largest bronze Buddha in the world because this Buddha is sitting down, not standing up. This bronze statue weighs in at over 500 tons and is staggeringly huge.
Seeing the person below helps add some perspective to its size
Each temple has it’s own unique offerings. Some have unique buildings. Others have incredible nature backdrops. Others have integrated into the local culture. But this one was all about the gigantic Buddha. And it was impressive to witness to be sure.
When Elena and I came here, it was to see this impressive Buddha, yes, but also to feed the deer which actually blow to you in a formal feeding ritual that they have been trained to do. In fact, the really smart deer stand out in front bowing to oncoming tourists and when a tourist bows back, they walk over and being their bowing ritual. God help you if you have neglected to purchase a few deer biscuits before engaging in said ritual.
Deer checking Elena and I out to see if we’re game to provide biscuits
Elena locks-in and the ceremony begins …
It’s crazy and I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t experience it myself, but these (formerly wild) animals have learned how important bowing is to receiving the biscuit and so they do it … even initiate the gesture to ensure you know they want to enage. I know this is food-trained and not natural, but it is unique and fascinating to take part in as a tourist.
You can see, this one got my attention with a gentle bite of my sweater and pull. They are harmless, but when they want something, they know how to get your attention. Ultimately, they are “wild” animals and do what they must to survive. Then again, they are deer and generally just want your biscuits (and know they are generally protected in the area of Nara by the locals).
What’s wild about these deer is that they are full integrated into the city of Nara, Japan. In fact, this is much of what the city is known for. The deer have free … well, reign. They are well feed by the tourists and the locals who supply the deer biscuits make a good living keeping the deer well fed. There are many others who make their living cleaning up the deer droppings (otherwise, there would be a ton of landmines to walk around as the deer are everywhere). Japan keeps its cities clean and free of mess, and that includes animal droppings. As soon as a deer poops, someone immediately cleans it up. It’s rare that a tourist steps on any deep poop and that’s amazing given how many deer are roaming everywhere throughout the city of Nara.
The architecture was cool too. To house the largest (bronze) Buddha, you need a really big building and then you need a large structure that goes around said building to protect it. At one point, they had two giant pagodas on either side as lookouts to see anyone approaching the giant Buddha temple. But after they burned down, they weren’t rebuilt like the main building and surrounding buildings. You can imagine it’s hard to maintain all of this through the centuries from when it was first built.
And finally, I did get the courage to try the fish-flavored puffs. No, they are not terrible and no, they are not as good as the cheese flavored variety. I wouldn’t buy them again knowing that there is a perfectly good cheese-flavored option, but if you were looking for a fish flavor (or just wanted a more salty snack vs. savory), this works. I know “not terrible” isn’t a rave review, but it was higher than my very low expectations. I just wanted to try something outside my comfort zone. Still not ready to trust my colon to cooked fish from a vending machine, but somehow a fish flavored processed food was “okay.” So far, no side effects. I’ll keep monitoring the situation. Especially since tomorrow is Halloween. Yay!
