Just got back from Nikko. Getting there involves taking one train North for over an hour, then changing and taking another train Northwest for about an hour. I brought one of my hefty books to read for the ride, and it passed relatively quickly. Once at Nikko station, I took a taxi over to my hotel. It would have been a 40 minute walk through a city I wasn't familiar with in the dark: no, thank you. Checked in, and read for a little before going to bed.
After breakfast, I walked over to the Shinkyo bridge: a sacred bridge that for centuries only the emperor, the shogun, and the nobles could cross. Now you can pay 500円 to cross it. Got some pictures of it, as it is quite picturesque, then headed over to one of the many shrines. I bought a combination ticket, so I could see Sanbutsu, Taiyuin, Futarasan, Toshogu, and Rinnoji.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside most of these places, but I do have tons of pictures of their exteriors. Sanbutsu is part of Rinnoji: sanbutsu means "three Buddahs", and it is famous for three huge Buddah statues. After seeing Sanbutsudo, I headed over to Toshogu, which is where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined. For Japanese history non-buffs, this is the guy who finally united all of Japan (after 100 years of war) under his rule around 1600 following a pivotal battle (Players of the Samurai Warriors game series will know it as The Battle of Sekigahara.). His descendants ruled Japan until 1868, when supportors of the Emperor re-instated Emperor Meiji as the ruler of Japan. So this guy is important. For those interested in his life and times, you may want to check out the Path of Assassin manga, written and illustrated by the same people who did Lone Wolf and Cub. Be warned that, like Lone Wolf and Cub, Path of the Assassin features violence, swearing, and nudity.
He is enshrined in Nikko due to his wish to protect Japan after his death. Nikko is North of Tokyo: North for some reason is considered the direct that demons, evil, and devils come from, so he had himself moved North of the capital to symbolically guard it from evil. Anyway, the place was originally quite small, but was enlarged to its current size by one of his descendants. It is quite possibly one of the most stupendous, decadent things I've ever seen.After Toshogu, I went to Futarasan, which is muted in comparison. After that, Taiyuin, which is where the third shogun (Tokugawa Iemitsu) is enshrined. Also very opulent, but smaller than Toshogu.
I should mention that all of these places are loaded with souvenirs stands: it would be almost impossible to go here and not be loaded down with them, and after my visit, I was. At Sanbutsudo, I had picked up a charm to protect me from demons coming down from the North; at Toshogu, I picked up charms for my studies, traffic safety, long life/happiness, and for my birthyear; at Futarasan, I picked up a painting of a dragon to which I asked the artist to add the kanji 浪人 (ronin: samurai without a master). Basically, nothing bad can happen to me in the next year. And the painting is awesome.
Anyway, since my bag was heavier than when I left, I came back to the hotel, dropped my stuff off, then hit Kanmangafuchi Abyss, part of which is lined by hundreds of stone Buddahs. After that, I hiked up to Jakko no taki, Jakko waterfalls. This was a 40 minute hike by foot, and there were no buses I could have taken to get out there. After getting back from the waterfall, I went to the Imperial Palace museum, which had the actual Imperial Palace in use for the last 400 years. For only 500 円, you get to walk around almost the whole place, and you can even take pictures inside. Unfortunately, the inside is not really that interesting.
After exploring the palace and gardens, it is around 4 in the afternoon, and I've only had breakfast. I stopped by a restaurant and had a delicious bowl of duck soba. I read in my hotel room for a bit, then soaked in the private onsen, then watched some TV and read some more before going back to bed.
The onsen itself deserves a little explanation. Normally, there would be a wash room, then a large body of hot water. You strip down and wash yourself in the washroom, then soak along with everyone else in the hot spring. Men and women usually have separate soaking areas. Since I have tattoos, I would have to cover mine up in order to use a public onsen. Or go to a yakuza-operated one (the yakuza are basically the Japanese mafia, and tattoos are still strongly associated with their members), which doesn't sound too appealing. Anyway, the foto above is of a private onsen: sit on the stool and scrub yourself, then soak for as long as you can stand in the the scalding water on the right.
This morning, I took a bus back to the train station, and two trains later I'm back in Omiya safe and several 10,000円 lighter.
There are still several things that I didn't get to see. There are several hiking trails to the North and to the West, and a lake (Chuzenji, also to the West), with more shrines, waterfalls, and hot springs than you can shake a stick at. The Lake is 40 minutes away by bus, and after my first day of exploring, I was feeling more than a little out of it. Besides, I also wanted to make sure that I didn't get stuck in Nikko. Although this is a rather absurd paranoia that I would get stuck there, after having to hike 20km, then finally hitchhike the last 6km back to my hotel in Montpellier, France 5 years ago (long story, and not related to being in Japan...), I get paranoid about getting stuck places.
Cheers
