Yunoya Nikko

... which I fell almost immediately. It's absolutely impossible to get any grip on the ledge! Then there was the salmon ladder which I had no hope on b/c I was worn out. Didn't even get the first rung. I'm convinced it's b/c the obstacle was meant for short people and I couldn't really use my whole body as momentum. I did make it through the ring maze halfway. I was holding on strong but my left arm could not get the ring above a ...

... me 2-3 hours and so I was able to catch a train at 3:30. Arrived at Matsumoto around 7:30. Realized that the ryokan was going to be a bit far to pull a suitcase, I thought I'd catch a bus (as the website recommended, "just a short ride on Bus #2". Hmm. There is no "Bus #2". There was a "Bay #2" and the next bus was 50 minutes away. I'm sweaty and tired. Screw it, I'm taking a cab. Good ...

... gestern aufgemacht, einen der ach so beruehmten Tempel und Schreine Nikkos zu besuchen. War ja auch sehr schoen... aber sonst gibt`s kaum etwas, dass junge Leute wie unser eins sehr ins Staunen versetzen koennte... (mal abgesehen von der schoenen Natur... wenn wir halt nur mehr Freude am Wandern haetten... ;)

Unser Jugendhostel war eher... naja. Ich wuerde sagen, das beste daran war das Japanische Bad. Das ist schon was feines, so eine ...

... and scallop), beef, tempura and some unknowns that tasted great. Washed down with a big, cold Asahi beer!

Then, bath time. Wow. First time in a Japanese bath. Private, not a sento, but hot enough to peel paint and just the thing for sore muscles. The whole Japanese process where you shower/rinse first, then get in the tub to soak.

... Dorf (95 000 EW) an.
Unser Youth Hostel war nicht allzu schwer zu finden, ist aber im Vergleich zum Khaosan in Tokyo, ein RICHTIGES Youthhostel, wie mans sich schon eher vorstellt... ein bisl abge****t halt XD aber die Hosts sind echt nett, ein altes Ehepaar. Und wir haben seit gestern abend schon mehr Japanisch gesprochen als die letzten 10 Tage in Tokyo ;D

Heute gehts mal auf Tempeljagt. Hier solls echt schoene Exemplare geben. Also ist fuer ...

... was small but charming. The temple could be reached by bus but I just walked to get a better idea of what the town looked like and see some of the shops along the way. Before crossing the street climb the hill up toward the temple I saw a noteworthy red bridge that crossed a beautiful river that flows through the town. I am not sure what the name is but it seems like it is one of the "postcard" type places Nikko is known for.

Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan michaelsavage

... It is a part of decoration of the sacred horse stable and the carvings showing the life of monkeys are displayed around the stable. On the opposite side, the most impressive architecture of Nikko, Yomeimon gate stood there. But I remembered that I should see another thing before going through the gate, which was listening to Roaring Dragon in the next hall. Honestly, I didn't know ...

... They were very helpful and we got public bus tickets, expensive $20 (like everything else here) and rode out a half hour up a windy mountain road to Chuzen-ji Lake. From the bus stop we walked 300 meters to Kegon Falls, pretty nice as far as falls goes, similiar but not as nice as Akaka Falls, Hawaii... I'm just saying. Then we walked to the lake and was a little bummed out by the hiking trail options and it started to ...

... was the slightly suspect choice of background images for each song, Pearl Jam's Jeremy coming attached with a jaunty stroll down a river for a young and in love Japanese couple and, more worryingly, a bikini clad young lady frollicking in the sea to The Jackson 5's ABC. Strange. Still despite our hangovers we managed to make another fairly early (double-decker) train this morning to head to Nikko, north of Tokyo. Nikko is another ...

... screaming and waving its arms in anger. One time a car came by and the baby and mommy hugged and it was very cute. From here we stopped for a cup of tea to kill time before catching the 3:30 bus back down the hill. Here comes the craziest part of this adventure although I could never explain it in blog format. The bus ride down takes a completely different route than the bus up. You weave down the mountain on a series of hairpin turns which ...