Memory Lane 懐かしい...Japan

You know, the Soviet Russia Meme...

Yeah, I'm sure you've seen this meme, but if not...You're WELCOME!

Well, I feel there needs to be one especially for Japan.

Like, seriously.  The unique shit you see in Japan wholly deserves a meme!
Deer come up to YOU for christ sake!

Just look at that!  Shika have no fear of you! (I've got a great Deer Story for you...)

Heck, I'm sure they are just biding their time and waiting for the one day we are vulnerable and then!  They will strike us down! - jk. or am I...?

There are not the polite bowing, map-eatin'-deer that we all know and love in Nara but the loitering deer of Miyajima Hiroshima!!  They got into shops and or wait for someone to throw them a bone - not literally...or maybe...?

Exhibit A

He's just sitting there...waiting...watching.

Don't be fooled by those doey eyes, as they are waiting to POUNCE!  Then frolic off.

Exhibit B - Don't be fooled!

Don't trust those beady little eyes!

If you see them staring at you, RUN!

If you're lucky, you'd run and find a good hiding place, but if you were REALLY LUCKY, you'd run into a hiding place that happens to serve you some pretty damn tasty food.

Exhibit C - Yummy Unagi and Muscle Miso Soup

It just so happened that this place had the best Unagi that I've ever tried AND it kept me safe from those scary Shika out there!

I can only hope you were as fortunate as us when visiting Miyajima, Hiroshima.

Memory Lane 懐かしい...Nara & Shika

Exhibit A: Deer Munchin' on Map

So we were in Japan for our second honeymoon and I wanted to go to Nara because everyone says stop by there.

Let me tell you, Nara is my FAVORITE stop in Japan next to Kawagoe Koedo in Saitama.  On this trip, We went from Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Miyajima in Hiroshima (close 2nd), Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Obama, Sapporo, Furano, Tokyo, Saitama.

...Now that I'm listing it down...yeah, it's quite a few places.

So back to Nara and these shika or deer.

They were very ballsy deer, but polite.  And yes, I did say, 'polite'.  They were trained to bow at people in hopes that you would give them a cracker or senbei.  Yes, we tried the senbei too and they just tasted like a plain rice cracker with no frill or whistles.

Anyhoo, when you DON'T give them senbei, they do tend to get your attention though other means.  I'd like to redirect your attention to Exhibit A: Deer Munchin' on Map.  NO, We didn't GIVE the deer the fuckin' map; the deer took it! (just like the monkey's in Malaysia, but that's a story for another time)

So, my husband didn't have any more senbei and was sitting quietly, looking at the map and minding his own business - I wasn't here so I'm just taking his word for it.  Well, I guess an opportunistic deer thought it could harass a lone human without its other deer buddies for competition.  The deer got the last of his senbei but didn't like not being fed, so when my husband ran out and went back to reading his map, the deer suddenly took a hold of the corner of his map and tug-of-war insured.

Shika 1 (+1 map) --> husband 0

The map ripped at his fingertips and he was left with only a corner while the deer spitefully chewed at that map.

Examine Exhibit A again.

That deer has a nice little snarl that almost says, 'Fuck you, try and take this back'!

Apparently, the deer was chewing that thing for a while just staring down my husband trying, to soften up the staunch, waxy paper before swallowing; probably all the while thinking, 'fuck you, human.  I get what I want!'

I think my husband gave up at that point and shot a picture just for evidence when he retold the story.


I on the other hand, didn't give a shit or give in to their deer pressure and had absolutely NO PROBLEM pushing them away when they got too demanding.


Exhibit B: Me Not Giving a Shit...because Fuck them!

Those deer are definitely something else, but I still love them.