![A young boy rides his bike past a deer wandering around the shopping area.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/LNJE5GVBFO3T2BLFGIOV7DE7PA.jpg?auth=cc2d6e9f20dc8973b8bab093f4f6c1658a0b7a76bce00e100dac8c025f2d6c18&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
Tours are cancelled. Restaurants are empty. And centuries-old temples are quieter than usual in the ancient capital city of Japan, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
All of Nara is suffering with its Unesco World Heritage Site-listed temples shut as Japan fights the virus.
All except the deer. The daily life of the town's treasured animal remains virtually unchanged.
![A deer cuddles with a tourist at Kofukuji temple in Nara.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/HMOGO6YDJAVIOY2C7XPBCGUPTY.jpg?auth=0fc48076a16b8063d55a32c67071be5aa5652cfef5c309a4b9ec6f47eb6cdefd&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)