Nikko

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Night had already fallen when our train neared Nikko, our destination for two nights and one full day. As we pulled into the station I was ecstatic to see that snow covered the ground and was gently falling from the sky. Nikko is about a two hour journey outside of Tokyo by express, but the temperature difference between the two places was startling. I had my face pressed to the window on the taxi ride to the warm friendly Turtle Inn watching the soft white crystals float to the ground. The first impression we received of Nikko was exciting. It seemed like a winter wonderland. After arriving and having been shown our room by the helpful hotel staff we went out into the snow to play and walk to a beautiful bridge we passed by on the taxi ride. Shinkyo, Sacred Bridge or Snake Bridge is a vermilion arch across the Daiya River in Nikko. According the legend a holy man named Shodo-shonin crossed the river here carried by two snakes. The bridge is vivid simple and elegant against the natural scenery of the evergreen forest and icy river. During our walk that evening a snow ball fight, a frigid walk to Shinkyo and a quick visit to the convenience store was all we had energy for before heading back to our room and the Inn’s onsen (Indoor spa). The next morning we awoke early, had breakfast in the room and headed straight out into the bright and snow covered city.
The temples in Nikko are perhaps the most visually stunning place I have visited so far in my life. Colorful, ornate buildings surround by evergreen trees and a canopy of snow and ice. The temple complex at Nikko is different from other temples and shrines in Japan. Usually these religious houses are simplistic and elegant, but in Nikko they are ornate, even considered borderline gaudy by some. Nikko became a religious site in the 760s when a high ranking Buddhist priest, Shodo-shonin, built the first temple. The history involves visits from many other prestigious religious personages, a long period of being run by members of the imperial family (which led to the site’s obvious wealth) and having two mausoleums built for the 1st and 3rd Shoguns(Toshugu Shrine and Yakushido). The sites that I enjoyed seeing the most were the famous carving of the Three Monkeys, Yomeimon Gate, Nikko Mausoleum Rin-no-ji Temple and its Koka-mon Gate and The Roaring Dragon inside Yakushi-do. The Roaring Dragon is a giant mural painted on the ceiling of the temple. If you clap under the dragon’s head in echoes, everywhere else in the room it doesn’t.
After spending a good portion of the day shivering and wandering around the temples we caught the bus up into the mountains to visit the famous Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji just outside the city. At the start of the ride the bus passed a couple of monkeys playing on a fence in someone’s backyard! Just another reminder that I’m living in Asia. The bus ride went up a steep narrow icy road for about half an hour to a small town being buried by a blizzard. It was freezing and after only a few minutes in the stiff breeze and snow drifts I began to feel unwell. Extreme cold is a bit like my kryptonite. We pushed our way through the weather to Kegon Falls where an elevator takes visitors down to view the impressive cataract. The falls are 96 meters long and such a beautiful natural site covered in snow and ice, but we didn’t spend a lot of time admiring its enchantments. After looking around and taking a few quick pictures we headed straight back to the bus stop and barely caught the next bus down the icy mountain. The rest of the day we rested from exhaustion due to hiking around in wintry weather. The next morning we awoke early again and went on a stroll in a nearby park to meander down a Buddha lined, snow covered path. Snow was again falling lightly from the sky as we said goodbye to Nikko and caught the train back to Tokyo.

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Photos

Shinkyo
The Sacred Bridge at night.

Duck!
Simon pretending to throw a snow ball.

Snake Bridge.
Looking across the bridge in the morning.

Shodo-shonin
A statue of the man himself.

Morning
The monks were going around and sweeping, lighting the incense and preparing when we arrived at the first temple, Sanbutudo.

Snow and Ice
Rin-no-ji Temple Garden

Snow and Ice II
Rin-no-ji Temple Garden

Snow and Ice III
Rin-no-ji Temple Garden

Snow and Ice IV
Rin-no-ji Temple Garden

The Three Monkeys
These monkeys are famous and are considered to be the first carvings of the "see no evil, hear no evel, speak no evil" concept in buddhism.