Wednesday, 08 April 2009

• Currently Must-See in Nikko (Japan in Your Pocket Series, Vol 6) (No. 6) By Japan Travel Bureau see related

  Japan Part 5 - Nikko

   FYI - This’ll probably be my last post on Japan.

   

  On one of my later days in Japan, Fred & I took a trip up North to Nikko:  a small, but amazing country town where Japan’s first Shogun – Tokugawa Ieyasu – is buried.  To get there, we had to take the Bullet train from Asakusa –a two hour train ride from Tokyo.  So we pretty much spent the entire day there.  It’s a good thing, though, because Nikko is apparently a historic town with a few famous historical sites! 

   

  I’m not sure what the story is here, but long ago, only Royalty was allowed to cross this bridge (pictured below).  Today, however, commoners like you and me are now allowed to cross it…….for a price. 

   

  

   

  But I’m not about to pay 300 yen ($3.00 US) just to cross a bridge.  That’s just crazy. 

   

  We had to hike up a little ways, but eventually we got to the Temple….thanks to Fred, showing us the way! 

   

  

   

  The hike up was pretty beautiful.  The temperature was JUST right for sightseeing. 

   

  

   

  When we got to the Temple grounds, I decided to have a drink of the fresh mountain water.  I’ve also been told it’s kind of a light religious custom to wash your hands and drink the water from little fountains like this. 

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

  Here’s Kinnoji (or Rinnoji?) Temple – we weren’t allowed to take pictures INSIDE the temple, so I’ll just have to describe to you how HUGE some of the Buddhist statues were.  They were covered in gold-lacquered wood (not gold, like I originally though) and towered over us like giants. 

   

  

   

  They were probably just as tall as this Pagoda right here: 

   

  

   

  Eventually, we reached the actual Ieyasu grave memorial.  Here are a couple of pictures of Fred next to the actual Tomb. 

   

  

   

  

   

  Fred’s camera died somewhere around here which is why I’m taking most of the pictures.  But here are a few shots of me and him on a walking tour of one of the garden trails there. 

   

  

   

  Hi Fred! 

   

  

   

  Everybody knows of the famous “See no Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil” monkeys, right?  But did you know where that comes from?  Nikko, Japan, that’s right!  Here’s a picture of the now-famous monkeys that were carved hundreds of years ago. 

   

  

   

  Also – this sleeping cat is famous too, apparently.  Although I don’t recognize it from anywhere……! 

   

  

   

  After we came back down the mountain, we got some good ole-fashioned Nikko Ramen. 

   

  

   

  

   

  And I believe this sums up my trip to Japan!  I’ve covered the majority of the places where I visited during my time there (didn’t take many pictures in Shibuya or Tokyo Harbor, or when we went out for drinks on St. Patrick’s Day for some reason) and posted a little over half the photos I took on this blog.  The rest can be found on Picasa here. 

   

  LAST THING TO MENTION - On my last night in Japan, Fred took me out to an awesome restaurant on the 88^th floor of some high-rise building in Shinjuku.  We met up with some other old college friends of ours that were also living in Japan (people who we met while they studied abroad in America) It was great reconnecting with people I never thought I’d get to see again. 

   

  

   So yeah – that was Japan.  It was an incredible experience and I’m very grateful to Fred for letting me stay with him. 

   

  ADDITIONAL PICTURES

   

  

   

   

  

   

   

  

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