Nikko

This weekend I went on a somewhat spur-of-the-moment trip to Nikko, which is about two hours north of Tokyo by train. In the middle of last week I booked one night in a hostel, packed early Saturday morning (after watching HARRY POTTER the night before!) and set off on a solo excursion up to Nikko. I read somewhere that "you haven't seen beauty in Japan until you've been to Nikko," and this definitely proved true. It was an amazing trip and I discovered the convenience and joy of traveling solo -- it was so nice to be completely on my own schedule for a whole weekend!

Saturday morning I left my dorm to head to Nikko. I didn't time the trains well so it took me a bit longer to get there than I thought it was going to, but I finally made it by around 1pm. The hostel owners picked me up from the station (so convenient!) and drove me "home" to get settled in. My room was super cute -- tatami style with a delightful little futon and my own TV. I hadn't really watched TV in months!

My adorable room!

After I got my bearings and a map I headed out to the World Heritage Shrines and Temples of Nikko. The hostel owners had cautioned me to bring my umbrella, but I pretty much always carry one around anyways to use as protection from the sun (not that it's helping with my freckles/sun burn...). Sure enough, as I was walking towards the shrines it started to rain, and by the time I was almost at the entrance it was absolutely pouring. Japanese people were fleeing to their cars to head home early for the day, but I chose to wait it out under a vending machine's protective awning. Finally it let up enough to make walking around somewhat tolerable, so I headed to the first shrine and got my tickets.

The stairs turned into a waterfall...

The shrines and temples were absolutely amazing. First I went to Toshogu Shrine, which is the mausoleum of the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. The shrine is one of the most elaborately decorated in all of Japan, as normally shrines have more simple architectural designs. But, the shrine was beautiful, and it was kind of cool to see it in the rain. It was also much less crowded than normal, so that was a plus!

The main gate at Toshogu

So ornate~

At Taiyuinbyo Shrine

After Toshogu, I walked around the area looking at the other shrines and temples. Also in the complex are Rinnoji Temple, Taiyuinbyo Shrine, and Futarasan Shrine. See pictures below! Rinnoji Temple is currently undergoing renovations until 2021 so the main temple building is covered by a huge scaffolding structure. I could still go inside though (but wasn't allowed to take pictures!), and the main attraction was an altar featuring three huge statues of Amida Buddha, Senju-Kannon, and Bato-Kennon. (Here's a picture -- not sure if it was taken legally or not!)

After getting my fill of historical Japanese architecture I headed back down the town's main street to get some food for dinner and breakfast. I walked past the Shinkyo Bridge ("sacred bridge") -- the mist rising from the river due to the recent rain made the bridge absolutely spectacular to behold. It was one of the prettiest things I've seen so far! After taking lots of picture and oohing and ahhing as passersby gave me strange looks, I kept walking and eventually found some ramen for dinner and groceries for in the morning. Then I headed home to relax in my peaceful room and study some for my kanji final on Monday!

Rinnoji Temple covered by scaffolding :(
 

Shinkyo Bridge!

Sunday morning I woke up, packed my bag, and got ready for another day of exploration. The hostel owners were so nice -- they offered to meet me at the station later with my bag so I didn't have to carry it around or pay for a locker! Once we arranged the details, I headed out to walk to the nearest bus stop to take a bus up the mountain. It was quite the ride -- as we got near the top the road got pretty curvy and I had to sit down on the floor of the bus to keep from falling over. But, finally we made it to the top and I headed to Kegonnotaki (Kegon Falls), which is supposedly one of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan. I don't doubt it -- it was amazing. I took an elevator down to the main observation platform and was absolutely blown away by the scenery. I don't think I've actually seen that many sizeable waterfalls but I think they're one of nature's most beautiful creations. Moving water is hypnotic -- I could stare at it for hours!

Kegonnotaki :)

Me and the falls!

Lake Chuzenji~

After taking lots (and lots) of pictures I headed back up the elevator to get some food before walking around more. For lunch I had yakisoba with yuba (dried soy bean curd), the local specialty. I don't think there's anything particularly appetizing about the word "curd" but it actually didn't taste like anything -- kind of like tofu but a better consistency. After eating I walked to the beautiful Lake Chuzenji, relaxed in the shade, and eventually headed back down the mountain. Toshogu Shrine is one of the most famous in all of Japan, so I had decided I wanted to go back and see it while it wasn't raining. I'm glad I did -- I was able to explore more leisurely and I got the extra ticket to see the famous nemuri neko (sleeping cat) carving as well as go up to the shogun's actual tomb. It was quite the hike up several flights of stairs -- everyone was out of breath by the time you finally get to the tomb, but of course there was an ocha (tea) vending machine at the top... I also noticed the "three monkeys" carving for the first time, which is where the "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" phrase represented with monkeys supposedly originated. See below!

The monkeys carving!

Toshogu complex~

nemuri neko~

Five-story pagoda!

Finally I decided I was all shrine'd out so I headed out back past the bridge again (still pretty!) and down to the train station. I collected my bag and began the trip home -- I had checked the train schedule ahead of time this time so my trip home was much smoother and quicker. No long layovers in train stations! I finally made it home by about 8 or so and ran/had dinner /did some studying before getting in bed -- then I woke up at 4am to watch the soccer game! Obviously I'm slightly disappointed with the result, but it was a great game and I'm also really happy Japan won. It means so much for the country and women's soccer here! Then, my kanji final went better than expected so overall it's been a great past few days -- I'm supposed to climb Mt Fuji tomorrow, but a typhoon is headed this way so who knows if we will make it up... I'll keep you posted!