"Oh, come on. If you can't laugh at the walking dead, who can you laugh at?" - Dan Fielding in "Night Court"

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Japan trip
Day 14 - 19th June - Nikko (Part 1)

My hostel was very cramped even for a hostel - that was how they kept it to Y2,000 per bed per night (the cheapest paid accommodation I had throughout the trip). They also had weird surcharges (at least on paper), like Y1,000 to use the living area (with couches and internet) before check-in/after check-out.


I woke up very early to catch an early train to Nikko. Given how dead it was during civilised hours (if it were bustling they wouldn't put down 'liquor store' on the map as a landmark), it was even quieter at 6+.


I saw people doing morning exercises in the street. They actually cordoned off part of the street for this.
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Garden (?) at bridge (this was at 6:37AM)

In Japan, sometimes you're told to keep to the left, and sometimes you're told to keep to the right. It's very irritating - they should standardise.


Three sisters (?)


""Tori-Meishi"
Superb Chicken, Superb View, It's a Bounty of Nature."
Breakfast bento. I was surprised they sold such substantial fare at breakfast time. Maybe it was for busy Sararīman to eat at noon.


Nikko map


Bizarrely, the JR station had souvenir stamps - not one, not two but THREE of them, in fact. There were 2 stations at Nikko; I wasn't sure if the Tobu Nikko station had souvenir stamps too.


The elevation of Nikko was 533m, which explained the nice and cool weather, as well as the mist


More maps of the area


Donate a memorial plate and you'll be honoured - for all of 2 years. Meh.


"Sabo weirs are where you' ll find stone-made cultural assets. Sabo weirs protect our city and cultural assets"
Presumably a sabo weir is some sort of water break. I've no idea why it would be a National Treasure.


Rock monument


Statue of Samurai and Monk (?)


Shinkyo, famous bridge. It's one of the "finest three bridges in Japan" (the Japanese have a ranking for everything. Wth.)


Shinkyo and beautiful blue-green water


River


World Heritage stone: "Shrines and Temples of Nikko", at entrance to sacred area


World Heritage plaque



? complex near entrance to sacred area (there was no sign in English). It was something like a horse rest station.


Path


Statue of Shodo


Interestingly-designed ticket. Presumably most people visit the places in a certain order (from outside in).


Just looking at the moss on this fountain and the coins in it, I was leery of drinking from it, but 1 guy came to drink and a girl filled a bottle from it. This was the country of anti-bacterial soap, yet presumably their stomach could take it.


Rin-No-Ji Temple: Sanbutsudo

Inside there was one Buddha with a small moustache and 2 with many arms. There was an axe in the arm of the Batoh Kannon (the horse-headed Goddess of Mercy) and a polearm in the hand of Senju-Kannon (the 1,000-armed goddess of mercy). Amida Nyorai, in the centre and with only 2 arms, was the most peaceful.

Later there was a small statue of "卯年", who had a sword in one hand. Wth.

There was some zodiac table - the god I am supposed to be under is Amida-Nyorai.


Bell


Sorin to

China would've had a lot more of this sort of thing if not for the Cultural Revolution. Luckily, and in more recent times Chiang Kai Shek saved a lot of the more mobile stuff by bringing it to Taipei.


Drain


Tosho-gu entrance


Gojunoto (5-storied pagoda), 1650 (original), 1818 (reconstructed)
I had to consult Lonely Planet for the dates - the information onsite cunningly implied the building was older than it really was


Detail


Top of pagoda


Map of Tosho-gu complex - it's quite big


Otemon (gate)


?? buildings


Elephants - drawn by someone who'd never seen them before


Merchandise. These go beyond the normal range - they're deluxe!


Sacred horse "Koha". I didn't know there was a real horse here.
"There is no other sacred horse donated from abroad serving in any shrine in Japan at present" - I'd be surprised if there were. Hurr hurr.


Hear no, speak no, see no yada yada


Monkey building


More monkeys


Ema


Mark of holiness. Notice the cranes stolen from Sadako (hurr hurr)


Washup point. The building for this was probably the most elaborate I saw.


Torii to the inner shrine. They were so kiasu, having both gates and toriis. Ah, religious syncretism!