Nikko

As we enter into the final weeks of our time in Japan I am realizing that I need to kick start my bucket list! There are so many amazing places in this country and they are all so accessible due to the amazing train system. America needs to get it together and get on this level. One of the places left on my bucket list was Nikko so I hopped a train from Asakusa and headed North.

Nikko is known as one of the most spiritual places in Japan and dates back to the 8th century when the Buddhist priest Shodo Shonin established a hermitage there. It developed into a training ground for Buddhist monks and was later chosen as the mausoleum site for Tokugawa Ieyesu (warlord who took control of the country and established the shogunate that ruled for 250 years until the Meiji Resoration ended the feudal era). The sites around his mausoleum and shrine make up several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It was a cool and overcast day and felt a lot like San Francisco and nothing like sweltering Tokyo. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I got off the train and got to take in the cool mountain air. The first stop on my day trip was at Shin-kyo, which is a sacred spot where Shodo Shonin is rumored to have been carried across the river by two giant serpents. The original bridge was constructed in the 17th century but the current structure is a lovely reconstruction:

On the other side of the bridge is the entrance to Nikko National Park, home to the majority of shrines and temples in Nikko. I began hiking up the first (of many) set of stairs towards Tosho-gu temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site:

Tosho-gu is preparing to celebrate it’s 400th anniversary so parts of the temple are under restoration but that in no way took away from the ornate beauty of the buildings that were open:

Hundreds of steep stairs led up to the Tomb of Ieyasu, which surrounded by beautiful cedar trees:

Most of my day in Nikko was spent hiking through the Park and climbing up stairs at the temples as they were each built into the hillside. It was amazing to think about how these buildings were constructed in the 17th century without modern technology or infrastructure to assist the workers.

After finishing my touristing with the crowds at Tosho-gu, I walked deeper into the Park toward Futarasa-jinja, and caught a more serene view of Tosho-gu’s five story pagoda:

Futarasa-jinja is a shrine founded by Shodo Shonin with the current structure dating from 1619 (the oldest in Nikko). It’s known as the protector shrine of Nikko itself and is dedicated to the nearby mountain of Nantai-san, the mountain’s consort, Nyotai-san and the progeny, Taro. This shrine was much more enjoyable as it was significantly less crowded and the setting was incredibly peaceful and beautiful (my favorite shrine in Japan to date, though I haven’t been to very many):

This guy was kind of sassy (note his left pointer finger) and I like to think he was about to teach me something about life:

Seriously, SO.MANY.STAIRS:

I enjoyed a quick lunch of the local fare, yuba, which is the skin that forms when making tofu and is cut into strips. It was much more delicious than it sounds and comes in a variety of forms (noodles, buns, etc) though I enjoyed mine in the form of a sushi-style roll with meat in the center:

I really enjoyed visiting Nikko and wish that we had come for a visit over a full weekend to enjoy some of the picturesque waterfalls, hiking, and onsens. That being said, some of the highlights were do-able in a daytrip and was a beautiful escape from the city.