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Meredith Gilbert

Full-time student, part-time hiker, and ready for a new adventure.

While visiting Nara and Tōdai-ji should definitely be near the top of anyone's bucket list while staying in or near Kyoto, be warned: these deer can be fierce! While they may seem tame, it's important to remember that they are still wild animals, and they are not afraid of humans. If you purchase senbei to feed the deer, they will likely crowd you and push you, and on occasion (speaking from experience here) bite your behind in an attempt to get the food from you. So if animals make you easily nervous, this may be one to skip.

I did this hike when around 7 years ago. After a lot of up, we emerged into an incredible scene of a frozen lake surrounded by snowy cliffs. Absolutely beautiful and definitely worth the climb!