Nara asks visitors to stop feeding the deer Feb. 4 04:00 pm JST Feb. 4 | 04:05 pm JST TOKYO One of the most popular tourist sites in all of Japan is Nara Park in Nara Prefecture, where people can walk among free-roaming deer that cross at pedestrian crossings and bow to tourists in return for senbei rice crackers. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, tourist numbers have plummeted, and with international travel restrictions leaving the park emptier than it’s ever been, the deer have been hungry for rice crackers usually fed to them by visitors. ▼ Sold by vendors on the park grounds, Shika Senbei (“Deer Rice Crackers”) are a popular way for tourists to interact with the animals.