ANIMALS
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
What could be more pleasant and relaxing than strolling placidly through a public park surrounded by 1,200 deer in a state of semi-freedom? You will find this and much more in the deer park at Nara, one of the most famous and popular in Japan.
Established in 1880, this park is a true oasis for deer, which were considered sacred in Japan until 1637, and still held in the highest esteem as a mythical and noble animal.
The park is completely free and open every day of the year-a must-see for tourists who happen to be on this side of the Japanese island.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
What could be more pleasant and relaxing than strolling placidly through a public park surrounded by 1,200 deer in a state of semi-freedom? You will find this and much more in the deer park at Nara, one of the most famous and popular in Japan. Established in 1880, this park is a true oasis for deer, which were considered sacred in Japan until 1637, and still held in the highest esteem as a mythical and noble animal. The park is completely free and open every day of the year-a must-see for tourists who happen to be on this side of the Japanese island.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
The deer park of Nara is located in Japan at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa. It is among the "places of scenic beauty" designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
The main reason this park is known is because it is home to 1,200 deer (sia/shika, in Japanese), semi-wild, also classified as a "natural monument" by MEXT.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
Over the years, these animals have figured out perfectly how to relate to humans. So, in addition to special crackers that can be bought throughout the park, these mammals often enjoy eating visitors' objects as well, especially maps for orientation.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
They are very docile animals, however, and it is even possible, with caution, to approach them to pet them or to take a picture. After feeding them, it is possible for deer to perform a deep bow, raising and lowering their heads in a gesture that melts the heart.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
The deer, in Japan, was considered a sacred animal. This was because one of the four shrine gods Kasuga, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto, was said to have been invited by Kashima, and appeared on Mt. Mikasa-yama riding a white deer. Therefore, the deer was considered divine and sacred by the shrine Kasuga and Kōfuku-ji.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
This sacredness lasted until 1637, when still killing one of these animals was punishable by death. After World War II, the sacred aura was permanently removed, leaving it with only the title of "national treasure."
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
The official size of the park is about 502 hectares, the area including the territories of Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji and the Kasuga sanctuary, which are enclosed in the park in Nara, thus reaching a size of 660 hectares.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
This park is also perfect for photography enthusiasts, who often waste their days looking for the best spots to take unforgettable images. The photographs that can be taken from the Wakakusa mountain park are very beautiful, when climbing the mountain in the evening. Here you can see a beautiful glimpse of the Nara landscape with its most famous attractions.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
Besides the deer, there are many other things to see inside the park. For example, the Great Buddha Hall in Todaiji. At 15 meters high and weighing an estimated 300 tons, this is the largest bronze Buddha in the world. In addition to this, also note Shinyakushiji, famous for its statue of the Medicine Buddha, and the 50-meter-high pagoda of the nearby Kofukuji.
Discovering Japan: the Nara deer park
Admission to the park is completely free and access is guaranteed 365 days a year.
Villages
02/10/2023
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked city-state on the Italian peninsula, the world's smallest sovereign state by population (869 according to a 2019 census).
The Vatican is what remains of the ancient Papal State, a portion of Italian territory over which, for centuries, the authority of the Pope reigned supreme. The real problems began with the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and the Pontiff's loss of temporal power. Today, only a tiny part of the State that once was remains.
Always a place of intrigue and mysteries but also a place of preservation of a great deal of Christian art, Vatican City still remains one of the most visited places in the world, and not only by Catholics or Christians, but tourists from all over the globe.
Travel without booking
30/09/2023
In the desert of Karakum, in Turkmenistan, there is a huge gaseous crater known as the Gate of Hell, which is presumed to have been burning, without ever stopping, since 1971.
The crater was formed following the collapse of a natural gas cave and the name Gate of Hell was given to it by the local population, who live in the nearby village of Derweze. The name is associated with the fact that inside the crater, with a diameter of about 70 meters and a depth of 20, there is constantly fire, flames and boiling mud. At night, flames are visible even several kilometers away.
According to the local population, the Gate of Hell is a supernatural phenomenon. The explorer George Kourounis managed to take some soil samples inside the crater and from the analysis would have discovered the presence of bacteria that survived despite the high temperatures and present are inside the crater and not in the surrounding terrain.
Villages
28/09/2023
Barcelona is a kaleidoscope of art, culture and natural beauty. Start with the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's masterpiece, still under construction, and the Parc Güell, with its colourful and imaginative sculptures.
The Barri Gòtic, the historical heart of the city, fascinates with its alleys and squares.
Don't miss La Boqueria market, a gourmet's paradise, and Casa Batlló, another Gaudí jewel. Montjuïc offers breathtaking views and the Parc de la Ciutadella is perfect for a relaxing break.
Luxury shopping and modernist architecture await you at Passeig de Gràcia.
Enjoy the beach at Barceloneta and admire Picasso's art at the museum dedicated to the famous painter.