Nikko - Blogabond

I am back from Nikko where I stayed at an really nice place called the Turtle Inn for a night, which gave me enough time to get a good look at the place and its sights.

Hopping off the bus I first saw the Shin-Kyo, a famous and loved bridge of the area, build where supposedly a saint was carried over the river by two giant snakes.

Shin-Kyo entrance

Shin-Kyo

Was on my way west from there, towards the inn. As I still had some time before check-in, I visited the Imperial Villa first, the past residence of the Emperor. Seems like they enjoyed a game of four-ball there, at least that's what the sign on the billiard table said.

Nikko Imperial Villa

Imperial Villa billiard room

Imperial Villa garden

Checked in after that at the Turtle Inn, got a handy map of the area and some info and was shown my room. The rooms are named after months here (I am assuming that there are twelve rooms, accordingly), and I got July. This inn got two onsen-baths for private use, which I really enjoyed later that day.

I still had a lot of daylight left then and decided to walk up to the temple and shrine complexes with its World Heritage Sites. First up was Taiyuin-Byo, essentially a more petite version of the main sight of the complex, the Tosho-gu.

Taiyuin-Byo entrance

Taiyuin-Byo

Its gates are protected by several guardians:

Fujin

Raijin

Guardian deity

Taiyuin-Byo guardians

Inside the main hall photographing was prohibited, but there are a great many dragons painted on the ceiling, said to carry the prayers of the believers to the heavens. Some are holding crystals (prayers) and are on their way up, others are without and on their way back to collect more.

Nearby is the Futarasan-jinja, a very old structure with a lovely spring.

Futarasan-jinja torii

Futarasan-jinja

Futarasan-jinja sacred spring

As most of the sites close at 17h that was it for day one, I soaked in the onsen, enjoyed a beautiful dinner of sukiyaki and fish and relaxed. After a good sleep and a "western style" breakfast I checked out and was on my way.

First up was the Gamman-Ga-Fuchi Abyss, an area with a great many of Jizo statues, the guardians of travelers. Halfway through their line is the Bake-Jizo, said to mock traveler who try to count them all.

Gamman-Ga-Fuchi Abyss

Jizos

Bake-Jizo, I guess

They are in different states of corrosion at some places:

Complete Jizo

Jizo w/o head

Gone Jinzo

Got on a bus and was on my way to the next point of interest, the Chuzenji-ko area with its lake and waterfall.
I got off one stop early and took the Akechi-daira ropeway up, from where you have a fantastic view.

Ropeway-station from above

View to the lake and fall

It's supposed to be a round-trip, but I left from the ropeway station and followed an old hiking/walking path through the surrounding hills and the forest to the lake itself.
A really nice tour, but I kinda seem to attract shoe-related problems, as my hiking boots decided to fail on my way. I took two pairs of footwear with me to Japan, one for hiking, one for everything else, and both managed to start looking their soles. One of my boots just barley hung there by the end of the hike, kept it up by tying it to the rest of the book with the laces. This really is a problem, as I was planning to wear them on my trip up the Fuji, an endeavor now in danger of being canceled (I am not going up my first mountain with loose soles and a new pair is not really an option). Anyway, after being lost for a moment and ending up a bit off the way I wanted to go, I reached the lake area.

Chuzenji-ko lake

Chuzenji-ko swans

The Kegon-no-taki is right next to it, 95m of falling water. There is an elevator down to its base, which I did not take.

Back to central Nikko, I finally entered the grand Tosho-gu:

Tosho-gu entrance

Tosho-gu gate

Tosho-gu

It is famous for its many carvings all around, especially for those of the three monkeys (see below), the Kirin (a mythical beast somewhere between a giraffe and a dragon) and the portraits of elephants by an artist who never saw the real thing.

Tosho-gu carvings

Tosho-gu elephants, I think

Tosho-gu elephant?

The three monkeys, depicting that a child should "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil". There are many other carvings of monkeys on that building, I am sure the interested will find info on them by themselves.

Tosho-gu monkeys

Famous three monkeys

More monkeys

Also,Ieyasu's tomb is there, located up steep stairs right next to the main area and surrounded by the forest.

Way to Ieyasu's tomb

Ieyasu's tomb

Went back after that, the travel from Nikko to Tokyo takes some time after all. In Utsuomiya I had some time to spare, waiting for the next Shinkansen to arrive, so I tried the gyoza (chinese dumplings) the area is known for.
Reached "home" in the evening.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

written by

JuergenS on August 5, 2010 from Nikko, Japan

from the travel blog: Two month of Japan

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