Turtle Inn Nikko

... a little air dryer for your backside). There's an internal fan that comes on to avoid any unpleasant odors. There's probably a button to cause wheels to appear so you can drive the thing down the street... Anyway, suffice it to say that the Japanese have advanced the technology of toilets.

Now, could somebody explain to them to adopt toilet paper with a little more heft than single ply?

... sprich gestern, das Wasser ausgelassen... was man ja eigentlich nicht tut, weil man sich ja eh vorher waescht bevor man reinsteigt... naja, dazu sind wir ja hier, um dazu zu lernen und nicht, um schon alles angeberisch zu wissen. Pft XD

So ca. in ner halben Stunde machen wir uns mit Freude auf zum Bahnhof, wo`s dann zurueck nach Utsunomiya geht, wo wir dann hoffentlich moeglichst problemslos einen Shinkansen Richtung Aomori bzw ...

... 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.

... Nachbarschaftsfestival, gleich um die Ecke von unsrem Hostel in Tokyo. War echt witzig, Japaner LIEBEN karaoke. Ich hab Beweismaterial XD

Gestern hats auch zum ersten Mal geregnet, seit dem wir hier sind. Hat uns also unsere eigenartige Aufbruchsstimmung noch verstaerkt. Aber heute ists wieder so sonnig und warm wie eh und je. Optimale Voraussetzungen fuer ne Wandertour, ne XD

Also, uns gehts nach wie vor super gut, abgesehen von etwas ...

... of the day. One of the most famous things about the temple is a wood carving with the "Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil, See No Evil" monkeys adorning it.

Unfortunatley I didn't get up to see Kegon waterfall which I hear is really beautiful. There is also a lake above Nikko which is also quite beautiful. Both of these places can be reached by special bus but since it was late in the day I decided to head back to Tokyo.

... was its roar. The main hall of Toshogu was boring and I skipped the Sleeping Cat carving and Ieyasu's tomb, because I had to buy an extra ticket for them. The last important place to visit was Taiyuin temple, which is Iemitsu's tomb. It was simpler and more peaceful than Toshogu and I liked it.

The ticket for 2 shrines and 1 temple cost only 1000 yen and I think the price is ...

... gentili ed ospitali: basti pensare che la frase che ho sentito piu' spesso fino ad ora e' senza la minima ombra di dubbio arigato gozaimas (grazie mille), seguito dal consueto inchino, ripetuto in continuazione da tutti, in ristoranti, negozi, stazioni, sulla metro, eccetera. Ma ho l'impressione, e mia cugina mi conferma che non e' solo un'impressione, che lo facciano solo per essere gentili e perche' la loro cultura lo richiede: farsi una vera amicizia ...

... taken with the attempt. Everyone from school children to seniors got involved. This is truly the upside to small group travel and using local transit. Our ryokan was perfect, the Toshogu shrine absolutely breathtaking, the local hikes outstanding, and the onsen - well, a great way to end the day. An onsen is a Japanese bath - often shared - where you scrub very very thoroughly, rinse even more thoroughly and then climb into an onsen ...