I got invited to go to Nikko, Japan this past Saturday. Nikko is very beautiful. I had read about it and seen photos in the Japan travel books I have and was told by a lot of people that it is extremely pretty in the fall when the leaves change color. Nikko is about 2 1/2 hours north of Tokyo. I went just for the day and it is possible to see most of the sights in that time period but staying overnight probably would have allowed to see a bit more. Because of the heavy traffic that is constantly entering and leaving Tokyo, we had to schedule our travel time so that we would avoid the heaviest traffic times.
Nikko is home to the famous Tosho-Gu Shinto Shrine. Parts of the shrine are about 400 years old and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From what I read, there are a number of Japanese national treasures located at the Shrine. It is most famous for being the resting place of the famous Japanese leader and shogun, Tokugawa Leyasu. I was told that he was the leader who unified the northern and southern parts of Japan hundreds of years ago.
Across from the path to the shrine is the famous Sacred Bridge. I read that it is one of the three most famous bridges in Japan. I don't think the bridge itself is that beautiful but the surroundings around the bridge are what make it so pretty and popular.
To get to the shrine you climb up a path mostly lined with stone steps and trees. There are a number of good luck charms you can buy at the shrine. They also have wooden blocks with the animals from the Chinese Zodiac that you can purchase and write your wish on the back and then hang up so it comes true. The shrine consists of a number of important buildings.
1. The stable of the Sacred Horses - From what I read there are 3 sacred horses that live at the shrine. They rotate through spending time at the stable. I don't know why each horse is considered scared. I think in general horses are considered a sacred animal in Japan. At the top of the stable are carvings of monkeys. One of the carvings is the famous "Hear no evil. Speak no evil. See no evil." This saying originated in Japan because of the carving at the shrine.
There was a very pretty 5 tierd pagoda at the shrine as well. Each tier represents a different element.
Before you enter the main section of the shrine, you can rinse your hands. It is a symbolic gesture of cleansing yourself before entering.
At the back of the shrine is the building with a famous sleeping cat painted above the doorway. This cat is a symbol of peace and extremely popular in Japan.
After you walk through the doorway of the sleeping cat you take a path and steps up to the resting place of Tokugawa Leyasu.
I took a video of a priest demonstrating how to rid the shrine of evil spirits but I could not get it to upload. Sorry. It involves waving a stick with white paper with a series of bows and claps. It was quick and interesting to watch. I will try later to see if I can get the video posted.
Here are some pics of some of the other beautiful parts of the shrine.
Afterwards, we walked down to the car and headed up the mountain. We went up a road known as the "abc" or something like that. The road has switchback after switchback and each section is a letter of the Japanese alphabet. When you reach the top of the mountain, you have completed the alphabet. At the top you are literally in the middle of mountains. There was a small town full of restaurants and shops and you could rent boats to go on the water. We didn't have time to spend at the lake or look at shops but I did get some pics and then we headed off to the famous Kegon Falls.
Kegon Falls is one of Japan's most famous waterfalls. I was hoping to be able to walk down near the water but it is a bit dangerous so you have to stay at the barricaded viewpoint to see it. It is famous for it's beauty and high number of suicides (unfortunately). The falls are extremely pretty. I love waterfalls in general so this was the part I was most looking forward to.
After the falls we hit the road to head back to Tokyo. It was a really nice day trip and again it was nice to get out of the city for a bit. I was hoping to see more colors on the trees but maybe next year. I definitely recommend Nikko to those who visit Japan.
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