Japanese politeness is well-known, and it appears this trait extends beyond humans in the Land of the Rising Sun. A heartwarming video capturing a unique encounter between an Indian tourist and one of Japan’s famous Nara deer has gone viral.
In the video, shared by Indian digital content creator Divya, she approaches the Nara deer at a park and greets the animal with a traditional Japanese bow. To her surprise, the deer mimics her gesture in return. The deer are seen bowing, and Divya gently pats and feeds them.
Divya captioned the video, “Japan’s Nara deer are the most coolest thing! While people say it’s in the DNA of the Nara deer to bow, I see the science of why. They bow because they know the simple old trick that they will be fed, think of it as dogs! I saw the deer in Miyajima and this behavior wasn’t spotted!”
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The video quickly went viral, amassing around 12.5 million views, sparking a range of reactions from social media users. One comment read, “Love the friendly deer in Nara and Miyajima.” Another user wrote, “Even animals in Japan know how to be polite.”
A third user highlighted Japan’s culture, saying, “Even the deer can show respect but kids nowadays are just like ‘What you looking attt!…’” One commenter remarked, “Wait, even deer in Japan bow their heads to people,” while another added, “More civilised than humans fr.”
The viral clip has left many eager to add the Nara deer park to their travel lists.
