Haikugirl's Japan

282 photos in one day is not excessive, is it? (That’s with all the really bad ones deleted, of course.) I’ll admit it, I went to Nikko on 18th April really just to take one photo:

The famous “Three Wise Monkeys” (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil).

But I knew I would find many more things to snap while I was there. Nikko is one of the most photogenic places I’ve been in Japan, and that was on a day with a sky full of rain clouds (“Nikko” literally means “sunshine”, but it didn’t live up to its name that day).

Actually, I almost cancelled my trip to Nikko (as I’ve mentioned previously).  What with all the earthquakes and aftershocks I was wondering how safe it would actually be to go to Tochigi Prefecture. Well, just in case you’re still wondering, it’s perfectly safe! In fact, Nikko needs you! So, if you have a little time spare in Japan, why not visit Nikko and help to boost tourism there?

I had originally planned to visit Nikko for the Yayoi Matsuri (spring festival) which happens on April 16th and 17th. Unfortunately it was cancelled this year, out of respect. I do understand the reasons for cancelling this festival, but it’s such a shame. I think Nikko lost out on a lot of tourism because of that decision.

When I visited Nikko I was really lucky because my friend, Jenny, was staying there at the time. Jenny was doing some voluntary work at a hostel. This meant she could take some time out to show me around. I have to say, it was really excellent to have someone (with a car!) take me to all the sights and explain stuff. I covered a lot more ground than I normally would, and had a lot of fun!

We quickly popped in to the hostel and I was saddened to hear that they had lost so much trade recently because of people’s fears about visiting Japan, or visiting Tochigi. It seemed like such a wonderful hostel, and I can say without a doubt that I will stay there if I should ever be fortunate enough to visit Nikko again. Nikko Park Lodge is literally just across from Tobu Nikko Station, so it’s really well located (and easy to spot, because it’s bright orange). Also, the staff are friendly and very knowledgable about the local area. Their website is all in English and they even have online booking, so what are you waiting for? I know I would be there in a shot, if I could! 😉

Our first stop was Shinkyo Sacred Bridge:

It’s really pretty, and I bet it would look gorgeous on a sunny day or with autumn leaves in the background.

Next up was Rinnoji Temple, which was unfortunately closed for renovation work. I do love to see buildings that are closed for renovation though – they always put up these amazing pictures so you still have something to look at:

After that very brief stop, we went to the famous Toshogu Shrine:

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Toshogu Shrine is famous for a number of reasons.  One is that Ieyasu Tokugawa is buried there:

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Another is the monkey picture I mentioned above. Interestingly, it’s not as big as I expected, and there are actually other monkey pictures there which tell a whole story!

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And yet another reason for Toshogu’s fame is the sleeping cat:

I swear I would have missed this cat completely if Jenny hadn’t pointed it out to me! It’s very small, and it’s tucked away above the entrance of Okusha Inner Shrine. On the other side of the entrance (the back of the cat) there is a sparrow. The fact that these two animals can co-exist is supposed to represent peace.

Toshogu Shrine is very well equipped to handle foreign tourists, but I didn’t think it was too touristy. There weren’t many tacky souvenirs to be bought, but I did spot these monkey and cat omikuji (fortunes) and they did have monkey and cat omamori (good luck charms) too.

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After a lot of wandering and step climbing at Toshogu, we headed down the river to find some of my favourite statues in Japan: Jizo! Jenny said she had seen them recently and thought I might like them. Narabijizo (Bakejizo) are not one of the top sightseeing spots as they’re a little out-of-the-way, but I highly recommend a visit if you have the chance. “Narabijizo” means “Jizo in a line” and “Bakejizo” (remember, that’s ba-ke, not bake like a cake!) means “ghost Jizo”. They get the name “Bakejizo” because apparently if you count the statues on the way up and then count them on the way down again you will find there is a different number.  Ooh – spooky!

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Many of the Jizo, which are said to care for the deceased (although I have also heard that they protect travellers), were broken up and even headless. But I was touched to see that people had taken time to care for them, and attempted to repair them by replacing lost heads with other rocks. The statues overlook a river and apparently there was a big flood there many, many years ago which damaged some of the statues. Still, they seem to be surviving well, and some of the red hats and bibs appeared to be quite new.

Near the Jizo statues, but not mentioned at all on the map we had, is the Graveyard of Rinnoji Monks. It’s quite hard to find if you don’t know where you’re going, but basically if you get to the Jizo statues, look for these steps:

…and go up. Then you’ll find it!:)

It was very, very old and interesting to look around. Everything was covered in moss and it was so quiet there – I was very glad to be there with a friend, actually! (Even more so when I saw warning signs about wild monkeys!)

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I was delighted to find this wonderful Buddha statue there:

Our next stop was to be Takino Shrine, which is north of Toshogu Shrine. However, on the way there we came across this other interesting little shrine:

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It’s always wonderful to find what seems to be a “secret” shrine, but it’s even more special when that shrine has a whole bunch of quirky little statues:

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Can anyone shed any light on what these statues represent? I’d really like to know!

Finally we got to Takino Shrine. Takino Shrine used to be the main place to visit in Nikko before Toshogu Shrine became famous, but now it’s not so popular. Still, it’s worth a visit.

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The trees are huge:

And there are Inari fox statues:

Takino Shrine is right by Shiraito Falls, but we couldn’t see it very well. By that point in the day it was getting gloomy and threatening to rain, so we decided to head back into town to warm up before I went back to Tokyo.

In town, we stopped first at a Hello Kitty souvenir shop:

Then at a cafe which served fantastic pizza, as well as cake sets:

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I didn’t catch the name of the cafe, but there aren’t many around Tobu Nikko Station. This one is near the Kitty shop and advertises the cake sets and pizza outside. If you don’t fancy this cafe, you could always pop over to Nikko Park Lodge, as the hostel also has a lovely cafe!

My words and photos don’t even come close to describing how wonderful Nikko is. I definitely plan to go back there someday, and I hope after seeing this tiny taster you might also think about visiting there yourself! 🙂

By the way, if you’re thinking you’d quite like to visit Nikko but it seems too far away from Tokyo, you’d be wrong. It’s very doable as a day-trip (although I recommend staying a night at Nikko Park Lodge to make the most of your trip). For more information about how to get there, see these very informative links: Access & Orientation and Tobu Nikko Free Pass. It’s worth noting that if you have a JR Pass you are better off going by JR (there’s no extra cost if you have a JR East Pass, but if you have an ordinary Japan Rail Pass there is some extra cost with some routes – see the above links for more information on this).  If you don’t have a JR Pass of any kind, the Tobu railway is much cheaper! I went by Tobu with the “World Heritage Pass” and found it very easy to use. They had a lot of English information and very friendly staff.

Finally, this is an entry for Show Me Japan this week. Don’t forget to check out the other entries! 🙂