Ah Nikko...

The weekend trip was great. I feel refreshed and feeling like I'm seeing more of Japan. I've got a lot I want to see before Christmas and I've got the next couple weekends planned out already.

I started the trip Saturday after sleeping in a bit. Actually hesitated going because I slept through my alarm in classic fashion, but went anyway. Lots of people, including the Japan national highway website, said I should drive well down near Tokyo on the expressway, and then back up through Tochigi prefecture, but I sat down over some curry on the way and looked at the map...and it just seemed like a nicer drive to head straight through Gunma ken, over the mountains into Tochigi and into the back side of the national park.

Moral of the paragraph: The Japanese often only do what seems the most common thing to do, rather than creating their own plans, so don't forget to check your own options and trust your instincts.

It worked out awesome, because I discovered some towns in Gunma prefecture that aren't far that look awesome as far as having great onsens and mountains. I headed up through apple country and into the higher elevations where the roads got windy. I stopped at a random attraction full of roadside veggie stands and swarms of people, to find it was a beautiful hike down to a great waterfall and gorge.

Moral of the paragraph: Stop at random roadside fruit stands and attractions because they are the best.

Apple stands and a wicked waterfall in neighbouring Gunma-ken. I like Gunma!

Headed over the pass and down into Nikko national park. It was getting dark and figured I wouldn't see the rest of the park until the next day, so I stopped at a famous onsen area on the way called Yumoto (Origin of Hot Water). The second I stepped out of the car I could smell the sulphur and see people walking around in yukata robes. I found a hotel that allowed guests to use the springs and took a real onsen...by real I mean it's obvious that this is special water, the color, clarity and smell of it is coming straight from some underground process. The water wasn't all that scalding like I'm used to in Niigata, but was just hot, and you could tell that people don't come for the heat of the water, but its quality.

Moral of the paragraph: Last one in the onsen is not only a rotten egg, but will smell like one too.

After the onsen I was at a loss for what to do, so I figured I'd head into Nikko City for dinner and find a place to camp out in the park. On the way I realized my friend Take (skier I met in Taos) lived in Utsunomiya, the capital city of Tochigi, which was only 30 miles from Nikko. I called but he had gone down to Ibaraki prefecture for the night to see an old professor...but invited me to head down there to stay with them. I hesitated cuz I had driven a lot through the mountains and was relaxed from the bath and was ready to pass out, but decided to make the extra drive down to Ibaraki to see an old friend...and have a place to stay as well! By the end of the drive I was only like 60 miles from Tokyo! I was greeted kindly by Take and his friends, and Tochan Sensei was the coolest, sweetest old dude ever. I was fed and quenched (owamori, whiskey, sake, the best umeboshi ever), and had a futon to rest on. Fun to meet new people and be with an old friend too.

Moral of the paragraph: Solo trips rule because you can make any decision to change plans on a whim.

Roadside mounains on the drive, Take and friends, Me and the friendly Sensei
Woke up at 5:30 the next morning to beat the traffic back to the national park...ended up finding a quick route and it only took an hour. Reached the main temple area called Toshogu shrine, where Ieyasu Tokugawa (the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate that ruled Japan for so long until the 1800's) is mausoleumed (new verb). It is the greatest, most beautiful place, not only because the temples and buildings are cool looking and historical, but because it is set in an open, natural setting with huge pines and an authentic feel everywhere you go.

Moral of the paragraph: When I die, I want to be enshrined in Nikko too.

great gardens earthquake-proof pagoda

Tokugawa's tiggity-Tomb at the Meimon gate

I saw countless shrines, tombs, temples, art, buddhas, gates. Saw religious fanatics and tourists, Japanese weddings and martial arts, priests and gaijin. There actually isn't a huge amount to see, but the architecture is so packed with detail in the woodwork that you could stare at it forever. Just a great place to let your mind wander around and take in the extravagance...

Moral of the paragraph: Every country has its national treasures, and Nikko is one of the best.


architecture details...elephants carved by a guy who didn't know what they looked like

A wedding couple posing in front of the place they tie their fortunes

That's right, I saw the original three monkeys! Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil

kendo training in one of the original halls where it was developed



Decided to head up into the mountains and backtrack the way I came...but unfortunately I hit the traffic heading up the insane switchbacks into the hills where the autumn leaf viewing was in its full splendor. Spent a good 3 hours to go about 7 miles up the hill, but it worked out OK because the point of going up into the mountains was to look at trees, which is what you do when you are stuck in a car anyway, so I killed two birds with one stone there. Started down below where they hadn't turned yet, up through the perfect area, and above that where the leaves had already fallen and into a new inch of snow. Hit the big lake, and down the other side of the pass, down through the same layers, back through the same villages I had seen the day before.

Moral of the paragraph: Japanese people will go through painstaking trouble to look at colored trees.

Had planned to meet Debs, Martin and Keiko in Muikamachi for dinner at 7 30. Pulled into the parking lot at 7:29 after driving through 4 prefectures over 10 hours or so. All the driving and timing and routes just worked out awesome. I love when that happens. And car-san ruled. And Nikko ruled. And I was so happy to be out in nature and seeing a part of Japan that is so great, but really so close. I feel good!

Moral of the paragraph: Get out of Niigata every once and a while because Japan really is awesome. Listen to your instincts because doing things you want to do usually are pretty cool, which is why you wanted to do them in the first place.

Next weekend, Kanazawa in Ishikawa-ken! Hotel's booked and everything. Yoshi!