Nikko

Nov 3rd was a national holiday and a long weekend here in Japan. Other than the 2 trips to Hakone (Fuji) I had not gone out of Tokyo. I didn’t want waste a chance to be a tourist. I had read about fall colors in Japan and wanted to check it out.
We (a few friends and I) set out to a place called Nikko. We took the local train which took about 2 hours to reach Nikko from Tokyo.

It was a little frigid but a perfect day..




The brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, greens and the variants.. both natural and man-made were breath taking. The viewing of Koyo or the fall foliage is a popular activity in Japan. The entrance of the Nikko national park was very scenic. A mountain range glowing with hot colors interspersed by pointed, dark green firs(or was it pine?) in the background. A river perfectly curved, dictating how the landscape looked, imposing the layout of trees, and advising the choice of colors for the shrubs.. everything in perfect collaboration to give a very picturesque view. The bridge across the river and the street lights only made the entire scene more beautiful.



Nikko is also known for Toshogu, a Shrine complex. It was a Shrine COMPLEX. There were, well, I don’t know how many Shrines, but it has to be seen to believe it. So many different kinds. The different patterns, the different colors, different sizes, different settings, different backgrounds… it just looked one better than other..






You probably have heard about “The Three wise monkeys”.. Nikko is linked to that story. It is believed here, that Nikko is where the story was first represented in a physical form (it is a shrine).. Here is a picture..




Ok posing for that picture was silly.. But it did invite a lot of laughs from the locals and the tourists.. Here is the real picture...



On our way back the co-passengers in the train did not make it a nice experience for us.. they were eating I don’t know what, but that didn’t smell very nice.. it was 2 horrible hours of bad nasty smell.. I was thinking of the 'Powerful Deodorizer' I spoke about in another story. Otherwise it was a great day.. If you are in Japan I recommend Nikko ..

Some more random pictures.










I found that doll walking up to the Shrine and stole a shot.










Dont know if it is a Rakshas or God.. Nonetheless colorful..















And the end of day ..