Kinugawa Green Palace Nikko

... 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 ...

...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 ...

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

Nun, gestern haben wir schweren Herzens mein geliebtes Tokyo hinter uns gelassen und haben unsere erste Shinkansenfahrt gen Nikko angetreten. <br>Es gab ein paar Zeitprobleme, allerdings fahren diese Zuege so ca. alle 20 min, darum war das dann auch nicht wirklich ein Problem. Allerdings kamen wir genau wie vorhergesagt, jedoch nicht wie geplant irgendwann nach 6, also dann, als schon finster war, in der menschenleeren Kleinstadt... naja, im Vergleich zu ...

... 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. <br><br ...

... 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 ...

... we got a combined ticket for 1000Y otherwise most temples would have cost 1300Y each. The area has been designated a World Heritage Site. The most important and famous is the Toshogu Shrine, inside the gate is a horse stable with the three wise monkeys carved, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. All the temples were very nice and not very crowded and they were surrounded by moss covered stone walls and fences.

... a los dioses a que salgan del templo en la procesion.<br> A la salida nos encontramos con unos espanyoles de Alicante y me puse a hablar con ellos, porque por lo visto iban siguiendo a la misma guia que yo y no se habian enterado de nada, porque el tour era en ingles. Por el privilegio habian pagado tres mil euros por diez dias. Espero que fuera tres mil entre los dos. Junto con ellos iban dos chavales de Madrid, Juan y David, que tambien habian concertado los hoteles desde ...

... with Japanese culture than as if I stayed in a hotel...most definately. And her mom is hilarious. She brought me home some Tuna last nite as she knows how much I like my sashimi...so sweet. So today I visit Ueno and Shinkjuku for some shopping and sightseeing. Friday I:m going to Yokohama...its only 1/2 hour away and no expensive to go and there are a lot of English speaking people and it has a large Chinatown. Yes Chinatown in Japan....should be interesting. So for now....Ogenki de (keep well).

So I've made it safely to Japan and the most diffcult thing I:ve had to do so far is type on a japanese keyboard. It's actually a qwerty keyboard (the kind we use in the US) except it has a button that begins to convert your typing into Kanji charachters where the space button is. Anyways, the flight was pretty good, I actually slept and had no problem staying awake after arriving?@(i.e. I stayed up until 7AM Indiana time no problem). I ...