NARA - Herds of deer are increasingly roaming residential areas of Nara after a record rise in the population at Nara Park pushed more of the animals into surrounding neighborhoods, where they are damaging gardens and raising concerns over traffic and public safety.
Five deer were seen walking in single file across a pedestrian crossing while the light was green, forcing a car attempting to turn left to wait until they had passed.
Nara's deer are designated as a national natural monument and are traditionally regarded as messengers of the gods. They are best known for living in Nara Park, where tourists commonly feed them special deer crackers.
However, the animals spotted on July 14 were directly in front of JR Nara Station, about 2 kilometers from the park. During lunchtime on an extremely hot day in Nara, they were seen eating grass from roadside plantings.
After the five deer crossed to the other side of the road, they joined another group, increasing the herd to eight.
The deer population at Nara Park has risen sharply since the end of the coronavirus pandemic. In fiscal 2025, the number was 360 higher than five years earlier, reaching a record high.
The growing density has led more deer to leave the park and settle permanently in surrounding areas.
Yasuhiro Nakanishi, vice chairman of the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, described the spread of deer colonies outside the park as the creation of "mini Nara Parks."
"When female deer leave the park, they join males outside and create a mini Nara Park," Nakanishi said. "If one male and three females form such a group, the population can quickly reach 100 if nothing is done. The outside area becomes their home, and they do not even know Nara Park."
The deer's high reproductive capacity could lead to more serious problems as the herds expand.
While Nakanishi was speaking at a housing complex about 1.5 kilometers from Nara Park, deer were resting in the shade and walking along the road. They later joined another herd emerging from inside the complex, creating what appeared to be another mini Nara Park.
One local resident said the sight was pleasant but acknowledged that homeowners were suffering damage. "It feels like they are everywhere, and it is heartwarming, but they eat the plants in people's gardens, so I think the residents are having trouble," the person said.
Residents who grow vegetables at home have been particularly affected.
"They eat the sweet potatoes, the new shoots on the persimmon leaves and all the edamame," one resident said. "They eat just about everything."
Edamame plants that had been carefully cultivated were eaten down to the stems, while leaves were also stripped from a persimmon tree. The household had installed netting to protect the garden.
"We have no choice but to coexist with them and think of it as letting the deer eat," the resident said. "That is part of living in Nara."
In addition to crop damage, officials are concerned about the deer's antlers.
Deer inside Nara Park have their antlers cut in the autumn to prevent injuries to people, but those living in residential areas retain their antlers, creating a potential safety risk.
"By late August or around September, the antlers become as hard as human fingernails," Nakanishi said. "Their behavior also changes at that stage. People who approach males carelessly are more likely to be attacked."
In September 2025, a camera captured a boy being knocked down by a charging deer.
The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation has released such footage and is urging people not to approach the animals without caution.
"For deer, there is probably no place safer or more secure than Nara Park," Nakanishi said.
The Nara prefectural government and other authorities are conducting operations to drive deer found outside the park back toward Nara Park.
Source: FNN
