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[top photo: (left) DOE–EYED: Siau Jiahui posing with a deer at Nara Park. (right) BITTER: Siau Jiahui making a face while eating natto, which are fermented soy beans.]

NOT all deer look as huggable as Bambi in real life, but cosying up to them proved to be a unique experience nonetheless.

For YES933 radio DJ Siau Jiahui, who recently starred in local film Old Cow Vs Tender Grass, the sight of hundreds of deer roaming freely in the sprawling Nara Park was the highlight of her trip to Japan’s ancient city Nara.

“It’s something you’d never get to witness at Singapore’s Mandai Zoo,” said the 29-year-old, who visited Nara as part of a guided tour in May.

Travelling with a gal pal, she also went sightseeing in other areas of Central Japan, including Nagoya, Kyoto and Tokyo.

Nara has about 1,200 deer, designated national treasures by the Japanese.

“All of them (the deer) were just strolling around. There were no barricades or fences that separated them from people,” said Siau.

“It was quite an exciting feeling to be so near them. I spotted a cute boy who appeared to be chasing a deer, but the deer was very friendly and tame...It looked as if they were running together.”

Historically rich

Another must-see in Nara is the famous Todaiji Temple (otherwise known as the Great Eastern Temple), in the northern side of Nara Park.

One of Japan’s historically rich Buddhist shrines, Todaiji Temple not only houses the nation’s largest bronze Buddha statue, it is also the world’s largest wooden building.

“When I was there, there were many Japanese primary and secondary school students on a field trip. So it isn’t simply a tourist destination, but a place of much educational value,” said Siau.

A self-confessed fan of all things Japanese since her teenage years, she also went to an onsen (Japanese hot spring) during her trip.

“It was an indoor bathing facility and the water was extremely hot,” she recalled.

“Like most hot springs, you have to take off all your clothes before entering.

“My girlfriend was very shy. But as I had already tried a similar onsen in Taiwan, I didn’t feel too conscious (of my nudity).”

Fermented soya beans

Equally memorable was her “horrifying” experience with food.

Having heard a lot about natto, the Japanese traditional dish made from fermented soya beans, she tried some at breakfast one day.

“It was so bitter and sticky. I really hated it,” she said with a laugh.

Siau, who understands a smattering of Japanese as she once took a basic conversational course, was impressed by how warm the Japanese were.

For instance, while sightseeing in Kyoto, she spotted three girls in authentic-looking kimonos. On the spur of the moment, she asked them if they could pose for pictures with her.

“They agreed without hesitation!”

DO YOU KNOW?

ONE of the most convenient ways of travelling in Japan is by the Shinkansen, a network of high-speed trains that connect Japan’s capital Tokyo to other major cities.

Operated by Japan Railways, which owns a large proportion of the country’s inter-city rail and commuter rail services, the trains are able to reach speeds of 300kmh.

The Tokaido Shinkansen – connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka – was inaugurated in 1964 as the first Shinkansen line and the world’s first high-speed train service.

This article was first published in The New Paper series "Star Treks: Globe-trotting celebs share their holiday snaps and stories".

OH DEER!

By Tan Kee Yun, The New Paper | Mon, Aug 30 2010

Radio DJ and Old Cow Vs Tender Grass actress Siau Jiahui takes the Japanese city of Nara by the antlers.