Nikko - Day 3

Our last day in Nikko was short because we had a 4 hour trip home that we wanted to start relatively early. We got up early and had breakfast at our hotel and then headed down the street to Kegon Waterfall. Lake Chuzenji is a mountain top lake so the lake flows down the mountain and has a gorgeous waterfall. I'm sure it is even prettier in the spring and before all the leaves fall. To get up to the lake we had to go up a switch back road that has 52 turns. I was getting dizzy after awhile!

Here are some pictures from the top:

And from the bottom of our $5, 93-m elevator ride:

We didn't stay too long cause it was windy and cold, but it was beautiful!

Nikko - Day 2

On our second day in Nikko, Glenn and I checked out of our hotel and headed on a bus towards central Nikko. This area is home to several famous shrines, the most famous of which is Toshogu shrine which is one of the most elaborate and intricate shrines in Japan.

One of the things that the Toshogu shrine is most famous for, is a carved wooden panel on the horse stable. It depicts the famous hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil monkeys. Glenn was reluctant to take this picture because of the large crowd, but believe me, he wasn't the only one doing this same thing.

The shrine was beautiful and I wish we knew more of the history of this area, but regardless, I enjoyed walking around with my hubby and enjoying the beautiful leaves. We were a little late in the year for most of the bright red and orange leaves, but there were a few gorgeous trees still holding out for our trip north. I think if we had been there 2 or 3 weeks ago, all of the trees would have been beautiful. The fall leaves in Nikko made me miss Minnesota and Iowa a lot. They are so beautiful in the fall.

Another recommended destination on my Nikko sightseeing map was the Shinkyo bridge. Initially it was built for only the emperor and important such people to cross the river, now it sits next to road that crosses the river. So it has lost some of it's luster, but you can still pay $5 to walk across the bridge and feel like your someone special. We decided to just take pictures of the bridge instead.

 

After checking out all the shrines and temples, Glenn and I headed to our final destination of the Nikko trip, Lake Chuzenji. We arrived around check in time at our second hotel, bundled up in our gloves, hats and scarves and headed to the lake to enjoy the sunset, eachother and a chu-hi. A great end to a second day!

 

Nikko - Day 1

The morning after Thanksgiving, Glenn and I got up early to hit the trains for Nikko. It takes about 3 hours to get to Nikko, one on local trains to Tokyo and then 2 hours on a limited express train straight to Nikko. Side note: the limited express train had compartment cars just like the Hogwarts express. If only they weren't so expensive to reserve, I would have gotten one just so I could take pictures. They even had a lady with a food cart, but sadly, no Burt's Anyflavor Beans.

We arrived in Nikko around lunch time and found our hotel eventually. Interestingly enough, the walking directions lead you to a hotel (not always ours) the exact same way whether you leave the station to the north or the south. Our first night in Kinugawa, we stayed at a Japanese style hotel. I was excited about this because we got our own private onsen (aka hot tub) out on our patio. Fun!


We got to the hotel before we could check in though, so first we headed to the local attraction - Tobu World Square. While what I'm about to say may sound corny or hokey and if we were in the US, it would be, but in Japan it was awesome. We went to a miniature display of famous world architecture. So imagine, the great pyramids of Egypt recreated in a 1:25 scale complete with camels and all!

 Or the colesseum, the Tower bridge, Tokyo station and every other architectural marvel you can imagine. And to our (ok, maybe my) delight, during the Christmas season that it is, they have a special Illumination which means the displays light up after 4 pm (the usual closing time).

Here's a picture of Glenn and I at the actual Golden Pavillion in Kyoto-

And the tiny version-

I think the part of TWS that impressed me the most was that all the trees and plants were real. They were all tiny bonsai trees so the trees even change with the seasons.

Even the World Trade Center still exists at Tobu World Square.