♥怡: nikko

I went to Nikko this weekend. Nikko is a city in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. It's a long travel; even from Saitama, it took about five hours on the train. I felt as if I was never going to get there. For the first night, we never made it to the center of Nikko, but we stayed over at a place called Kinugawa, a hot spring resort. The place didn't have much besides onsen and hotels, but that's just what we needed after a long day on the train.

free foot onsen, what I love about Japan<3

dinner at a local restaurant

and the place we stayed at.

There was an actual skin of some kind of animal with antlers! I don't know if it was deer because the skin and fur seemed too thick.

The next day, we went rafting(?), not really because it was one guy paddling while everyone else just sits and enjoys the view. We went down Kinugawa River 鬼怒川, which is a river that flows from the north to the south on the Kanto plain. This river is actually the longest tributary of Tonegawa (Tone River) and starts from a swamp within Nikko National Park. Because it's been known to cause floods since the ancient times, the name of the river is called "angry demon".

How they check their boats and send them down to the river.

random box, probably used for transporting supplies?

Kinugawa was so pretty! I loved how the color of the water changes at different places. The depth and speed of the river also changed along the course. Just the overall feeling of being between mountains floating down a river was amazing.

and when we landed, they were selling snacks. These are whole fish cooked over a fire. There were three types of fish.

so delicious

and pair that off with ramune--feels like summer

all while looking at Kinugawa from above.

We headed for Nikko afterwards. Along the way, we passed by an area with a bunch of cedar trees.

This was actually a sick tree. It was really big, but it was covered with medicine. Makes me sad to see a tree die. :(

The tallest trees in the world.

A cute hostel we passed by. There were so many cute signs and pictures along the walls.

And finally, Nikko.

The famous sacred bridge 神橋. The bridge belongs to the Futarasan Shrine and is one of the three most beautiful bridges in Japan.

And two minutes away from the bridge is the Nikko National Park.

and not far from there is the Tosho-gu, which is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It was built in 1617 and his remains are entombed here.

so many sugi!

The five-story pagoda! Has a very Chinese feel.

wooden torii

the guardians of the shrine

The Sacred Horse dwells here.
Toshogu Shrine owns two sacred horses. One is "Kotaku", meaning "white heron" in the New Zealand native Maori language. He was donated by the New Zealand government as a token of goodwill and friendship between the two countries. The other horse is "Fukuisami", meaning "good luck and bravery" in Japanese. He was donated by the Japan Racing Association to the Tosho-gu Shrine.
Each of the sacred horses takes turns serving the Shrine in this sacred stable for two and a half hours a day. They spend the rest of the time at a nearby modern stable attached to an outdoor practice ground, attended by a dedicated stablemaster and master horseman.

A gift from the Joseon Dynasty.

Look at the intricate designs of the shrine. It is definitely different from the other Shinto shrines I've seen. Nikko shrines are the only shrines I've seen where there is gold detailing.

sake barrels

KIRIN
As in Kirin beer. Actually the animal on the label of Kirin beer is known as kirin. It is an imaginative animal that symbolizes happiness. It has the body of a deer, the tail of a cow, and the head of a wolf and horn.

The entrance to the shrine was ¥1300, but to see the tomb of Ieyasu and the famous sleeping cat, you need to pay an extra ¥500 or so. And I was so disappointed! When I heard "sleeping cat statue", I immediately assumed there would be a giant statue of a sleeping cat. Who knew it would be this tiny thing on the roof of the shine gate! Heck, even the sign pointing to it is larger than the actual "statue"!

all the roofs

and thus begins the climb of a thousand stairs.

my favorite torii gate so far
There's just something so mysterious about it, as if it holds all the secrets throughout the years of everyone and everything that passes through.

the tomb

Kano Suze, the sacred cedar. It has been protecting the Inner Shrine area for a long time. If you pray towards the hole of the tree trunk, your wish will come true.