600 Nara Deer Have A Mysterious Meeting Every Evening. How Do I Get An Invitation?
Where do I sign up?
By Selena Chua
Nara Park in Japan is famous for their adorable and friendly deer
In the summer, a strange phenomenon occurs whereby the deer crowd in a spot in front of the museum every evening
This phenomenon is known as "shikidamari", which loosely translates to "deer gathering spot".
While it's not uncommon to see a few deer relaxing together, it is unusual to see them gather in one spot in such large numbers.
Their 'meeting' begins around 6.30pm and reaches its peak slightly before 7pm
According to SoraNews24, the deer sit there quietly for an hour before going back to different places of the park.
SoraNews24 counted a whopping 623 deer in the area when they visited the park. This is reportedly a higher number than previous years.
According to a 2019 survey by the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, the park is currently home to 1,388 deer.
That means roughly one in two deer show up to the mysterious gathering.
SoraNews24 reached out to the foundation to see if they knew why the deer crowd there and this is what they had to say:
"We understand that the deer gather in front of the Nara National Museum, however no survey has been conducted into the number of deer that gather there. We also do not know the reason why they gather there. Sorry we cannot be of any assistance."
Although no one has the answer for this strange phenomenon, the most plausible explanation is because of a large vent in the area
The large vent provides cool air, which helps the deer cool down.
