Visit to Nikko

We left early on Sunday morning for a 2 hour train ride up into the mountains, to stay in Nikko. We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) followed by a local train. Our hotel was a traditional Japanese inn, a ryokan. The rooms had lovely deep onsen (baths) with constantly flowing hot water, overlooking the river. And there was a many, many course dinner and breakfast! Such a variety of fish, vegetables, pickled things, miso, rice….

We spent two and a half days exploring the temples, shrines, waterfalls and a forest of giant cedar trees.

First, we came upon Rinno-ji Temple.  But not quite what we expected.  The temple is undergoing a 15 year restoration and the restorers have built an entire 10-floor building to encase it, with an elaborate trompe l’oeil mural of the original temple on the front. Within, you can still see many of the temple treasures, including three golden Buddhas, at least 15 feet tall, and also the remarkably ambitious scope of the project.

Tokugawa Ieyasu died in 1616 after unifying Japan and closing the country to the outside world (simplified explanation! Just read Shogun…….) His grandson, the third Toshugawa shogum Iemitsu, built the great Tosho-gu complex to enshrine him as a god. Among the many buildings it includes a gigantic gate and 5 level pagoda, and surface is carved, lacquered, golden, painted, and magnificent. Then, next door, he built the equally gorgeous Taiyuin Shrine where his ashes are entombed.

Following a stone path up the mountain through the forest we found a little Shinto shrine guarded by stone foxes, messengers of Inari, the god overseeing rice harvests: quite a contrast.

We took a hair-raising, hairpin-bending bus ride up a steep mountain road leading to the stunning view of the Kegon Falls. An elevator down through the rock took us to a platform below the 97 meter falls. Michael’s lovely photo is from a short walk from the falls to Lake Chuzenji.