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 ..

Earthquakes

It has been 3 weeks now since I arrived at Narita in Tokyo. It has been one interesting fortnight so far. I can’t speak Japanese. In other words I’m knee deep in trouble (for those who don’t know about Japan).

Also, neither can I read nor can I write Japanese. Those two facts pushed me 4 more feet deeper. I’m actually neck deep.

Somehow I have managed to not get lost so far. But I have to look for signs, stop and think which way I have to head or which train I have to take..

There are a lot of exciting things about this place.

Where do I start?

Earthquakes: It is 3 weeks now and I have already experienced 4 very strong earthquakes. Well they were atleast to me.. It felt like a bullock-cart ride on an unpaved road back home in one of those old villages. Sitting in the nineteenth floor and shaking like that wasn’t really fun. Although, I would have paid $25 for such a thrill in an amusement park..

Don’t know how much they measured on the Richter scale… I never had experienced one before. So any tremor that shakes me up like that is scary.. To be honest even the locals were ooh-ing and awwh-ing.. But some did seem pretty cool about it.. and a few actually went to the window and were peeping down. Can’t imagine they actually expected to see something shaking. They probably forgot they were not at point of reference where they could see something shake.. One thing that really baffled me was how ignorant they were of safety measures. These few people who went to the window were locals and common sense should say the first thing that would give-in in a building structure would be window panes. Shouldn’t everyone know about it? Or was I thinking too much of the situation? I did a little google on safety during earthquakes in Japan. Found this - http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/earth.html

Anyway, now I too act cool.. I just look around to see if anyone reacts but that’s it.. I kinda think of the $25 thrill. I guess I will stop there before I jinx it.. I always wanted to experience a tiny bit of mother nature’s wrath.. Wanted to be close to an event.. a tornado, an earthquake, etc.. a bit like those rock stars who get high on drugs.. and have real appetite for self-destruction.. my situation is not as dramatic.. just looking for a cheap thrill but not self destructive..

I’m going to call it a night. Please come back to catch up on my latest.. I wish to tell you more about Japan and post some pictures..