We’d spent enough time in big cities so decided to head out to Nikko from Tokyo. Our Chinese visas were issued and once these were picked up (a bit of a mission in itself), we were free to go!! Back on the Shinkansen and off to Nikko for the afternoon. Nikko is a beautiful spot about 130km from Toyko and there we found what we thought Japan would be like. We’ve been a bit guilty of skipping meals in Japan and it takes its toll (we both get grumpy) so we made a point of eating something – even if it was pot noodles in the car park of a supermarket.
On the way up the road to the temples, we got side-tracked by this lady who painted dragons. They might be dime-a-dozen for all we know but they looked pretty cool.
On the way up the road to the temples, we got side-tracked by this lady who painted dragons. They might be dime-a-dozen for all we know but they looked pretty cool.
She started with the head
Then painted the body in one stroke, stopping the brush every few millimetres to create a scaled look
sprinkled some gold dust over it and voila, a dragon!
Shin-kyō, a red lacquered bridge was at the end of the road and the river gushing under it was incredibly clear. Very picturesque and the photo doesn't do it justice.
The Nikko National Park has temples spread through it and we managed to visit about three of them. The five-story pagoda was pretty cool
and some of the roof decorations were also pretty cool
but the real highlight were the huge trees. They were similar to redwoods in size and absolutely towered, dead straight, above the temples
The approaches to some of the temples were tree-lined paths and this one had a huge gate at the end, very grand and made us feel very small!
We hung out in Nikko until dusk and the temples had closed then made our way back to Tokyo. We’re staying in a hotel (rather than hostel) this time, in a different part of Tokyo to where we were when we arrived and it’s at the opposite end of the scale. Its all bright (red) lights, traffic, noise, bustle and restaurants at all hours of the day and night. Nice to experience something different but the hostels in the quieter areas are a bit of a haven for us and more like being at home, with kitchens, laundry facilities and lounge areas where you can sit and chat to others.
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2 comments:
That dragon looks really cool but seems quite simple from your descriptions.
I was meaning to ask. Do you guys buy anything out there as souvenirs? If so what do you do with them, do you have to carry them around with you or do you post stuff out to Euan's Mum?
Would be a shame to go all the way around the earth and see things like this and not buy souvenirs?
Its been a bit tough not buying anything but there hasn't actually been that much that we've wanted to buy (neither of us are into things that sit on a shelf and gather dust!). We did buy a wood carving in Lijiang, China and that is now trundling its way overland back to the UK.
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