Kashiwaya Nikko

Toured the temples at Nikko today. Very impressive, but the fact that everything was in Japanese (no English) and I don't know much about Buddism, it was really a matter of walking around and admiring these cool buildings. I bought a picture book rather than trying to take a bunch of amateurish photos - maybe I can get my daughter to translate?<br><br>Because of this, touring the site only ...

...oder wir zu ihm. <br><br>Tja, jeder, der eines Tages vor hat, Japan zu erkunden, der kann getrost einen grossen Bogen um Nikko machen, ausser man steht auf Pensionistenstadt und absolut totes Nachtleben. Eins muss man dem kleinen Oertchen lassen, es gibt echt schoene, gruene Waelder, Berge und einen sehr netten Fluss. Dort haben wir auch ein schoenes Plaetzchen zum Zeit totschlagen gefunden, weil`s ja sonst nichts gibt.<br><br>Wir haben uns ...

Note to self: Don't create passwords with strange characters when you're going to have to use a foreign keyboard...<br><br>Returned to the ryokan for dinner and met some of the other guests. Two couples from Australia and one from Germany. Had (an amazing) dinner with the Ozzies. Eventually I'll get photos up, but think fish, rice, sashimi ...

... an Schlaf meinerseits... hab eine etwas schlaflose Nacht hinter mir. Gleich zu unsrem Fenster raus ist ein riesen Fluss, der ordentlich laermen kann, wenn man nachts versucht, ne ruhige Minute zu finden. Aber hee, schlafen kann ich auch noch im Flugzeug XD<br><br>So. Ich sag mal, bis bald! Internet hat sich bis jetzt immer relativ einfach finden lassen. Hier in Nikko im Informationscenter, in Tokyo wars ja quasi im Hostel inkludiert.<br><br>Jaa mata.<br>

... hiked up the hill toward the temple and just enjoyed the scenery. The moist environment mixed with the pine tree forest makes for some really beautiful areas around Nikko. Different varieties of moss coat the forest floor and grow up and around the trees. If you have ever seen the forest scenes from "Princess Mononoke" it sort of reminded me of that. <br><br>The temple was interesting and quite large. I looked around it for the better ...

... Tobu Nikko station, I walked up to Rinnyoji temple by way of Shinkyo Sacred Bridge. It was farther and more boring than I had expected, but the long distance walk was a good exercise. <br><br>There was the shrine, Toshogu, just a few minutes walk away from Rinnyoji temple. That is the best spot of Nikko with elaborate architectures and fine arts. One of the most famous arts is "Three Wise ...

... 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 ...

... y le asaltan por el camino. Al final acaba matandolos a todos. Habia bastantes saltos desde las alturas, luchas con espadas y patadas al aire. Como las peliculas.<br><br><br>En la entrada nos dieron un cuadrado de papel, que no sabiamos para que era, hasta que descubrimos que la gente ponia dinero en el centro, lo enrollaba y se lo tiraba a los actores cuando terminaban la actuacion, como a modo de propina. Con el dinero que nos costo la entrada, yo acabe tirandoles el ...

... too many sets of stairs. It is the Area that houses several ginormous temples, shrines, and sculptures. It started to rain so I did not get to see all I wanted but what I did catch a glimpse of was pretty darn impressive. As I headed back I stopped at a Japanese restaurant for dinner. More delicious sushi and some local beer...mmmmm. Ended the night chatting with some other Canadians, drinking sake and watching Japanese cartoons. Will tackle this homeless situation tomorrow.

... us) is the fact that many people wear masks (like DIY masks) all the time. In Tokyo fair enough with all the fumes, but up in the mountains? We are heading back to Tokyo today and staying in a Ryokan - a traditional family run inn. Reading the lonely planet makes it sould like it could be fun! P.S. No mini golf as yet - surely this means Ed has won P.P.S. Dad (Miller) - the e-mails were to ask where we could find the monkeys.