Looking down from the entrance gate to Toshogu

Japan Trip: Day 3 - Day Trip to Nikko

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May 15th 2007
We took a day trip to Nikko National Park, north of Tokyo. It was about a 2 hour bus ride up there. It was raining with thunder when we got there. We went through the Rinnoji Temple and Toshogu Shrine complex, a collection of beautiful historic buildings on hilly terrain surrounded by huge cedar trees. We had a Japanese-style lunch in a local restaurant in Nikko, which I thought was really goo ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tochigi » Nikko

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more