Been to Nikko! Now We're in Kanazawa

On Thursday, we were up and ready to go early.  This was facilitated by the fact that we had already packed up everything the night before because we had to move to a different room because of a clogged toilet.  The Japanese toilets are great, by the way; however, the girls have not been able to bring themselves to use the various features other than the heated seat, which is already on.  Where is their sense of adventure???

Katie and Katya on the Shinkansen from Tokyo

We bought some breakfast food to go and found our way to the Shinkansen gate and our track a few minutes early.  The train pulled in.  People filed off and then identically dressed men and women, each with a cap sporting a jaunty flower, boarded with vacuums and janitorial supplies, roped off the door and quickly and efficiently (of course, it's Japan!) cleaned the cars.  About 5 minutes later, they all filed off the train, bowing to the waiting passengers.  The doors were closed and then re-opened a minute or so later, and two of the staff bowed and greeted us and welcomed us on board.  The seats are large and plush with plenty of leg room and foot rests.  Soon, we departed.  The train runs smoothly and, of course, quickly, but I didn't get a sense of acceleration or lighting speed.  We passed through the city and then the buildings became less dense as we cruised through the suburbs of Tokyo and then into the country side.  In less than an hour, we disembarked and found our way to another platform to ride a two car train on the Nikko Line into the mountains north of Tokyo.

Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Arriving in Nikko around 10 a.m., we hailed a taxi to our ryokan and took a 10-minute ride there after the poor driver managed to hoist and cram our luggage into his car.  The Turtle Inn, situated in a residential area of the small city of Nikko, right along the roaring Daiya River, is a quiet place, not fancy but pleasant.  We were greeted by the owner and left our luggage since we arrived before the check-in time.  Off we went to see the great temples and shrines of the area!  Various shrines nestled in the cedar forest on the mountainside have been designated a World Heritage Site.  After seeing them, it is clear why, for they really are treasures of culture and beauty.  It was an overcast and slightly misty day, creating an ethereal atmosphere.  It would have been tranquil, except for the hundreds of tourists like us and the groups of school children.

Our first stop was the Rinnoji (or Rinnoji Temple, which seems a bit redundant since, I believe, ji means temple).  This temple enshrines three large (about 28 feet high) gilded statues of various incarnations of Buddha in Sanbutsudo Hall.  This temple is being restored right now; it is totally contained in a modern pre-fabricated protective structure, so the outer facade is not visible.  Still, it seemed grand.

Architectural detail at Toshogu Shrine complex

But then we walked up the wide stone stairs through the trees to the first gate of Toshogu Shrine, only to be truly awed.  This complex was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandson, Iemitsu, in honor of the founder of the Tokugawa shoganate, which ruled Japan for about 250 years, until the restoration of the imperial dynasty in the 1860s.  The group of buildings is described as the most elaborately and beautifully decorated of any temple in Japan, and I can't imagine anything more ornate of imposing.  Gold shines everywhere, even on a dreary day.  There are over 2 million sheets of gold leaf applied to the interiors and exteriors of the structures, contrasting with the auspicious deep red colors of the beams, walls and columns.

Sacred White Horse

After passing through the first gate, a huge stone torii, we saw the five-story pagoda which combines Buddhist and Shinto traditions.  Decorated in great detail, it soars into the boughs of the surrounding cedars.

Hear-No-Evil, Speak-No-Evil and See-No-Evil monkey frieze

Up another flight of stone steps there is another gate.  One of the first of several building inside this gate which we visited was the Sacred Stable, in which was an enormous white horse--the Sacred Horse.  (There are actually two; they are rotated for viewing for humane purposes.)  Monkeys were believed to protect horses from diseases, so the friezes of the stable are carved with monkeys.  One section includes "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil."  This section of the shrine contains a library and other buildings which are not open to the public but are part of this active temple, where monks continue to live and serve.

Yomeimon Gate

Further up, we passed through the Yomeimon Gate, also called the Twilight Gate, supposedly because it could take all day to admire everything carved there.  There are hundreds of flowers, birds, dragons and other animals in various vibrant colors.  The main sanctuary or Hai-den has three halls:  one for the imperial family, one for the shogun and one for ceremonies.  The detailed lacquer work and paint are in the process of being restored to their original luminosity.  The sections which have been completed show rich and bright shades of primary and secondary colors, particularly red, blue and green.

Rooftops of Toshogu Shrine

To the right is the Cat Gate, which leads to a flight of about 200 wide steps of stone through the cedars, from which there is a wonderful view of just the rooftops of the main temple complex.  At the top is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, which is somber and comparatively unadorned.  After descending the steps through the trees among ground covered with moss, lichen and ferns in various shades of green, we passed through the main temple area again and then visited Yakushido, another sanctuary which has a famous dragon painting on its ceiling.  A monk demonstrated how two sticks struck together produce a resonating echo.

Futaarasan

I was taking lots of photographs and approaching the buildings from various angles to appreciate their beauty.  The girls, meanwhile, had stated to develop a "If you've seen one shrine . . . " attitude.  Nevertheless, we proceeded along a stone lantern lined walkway to the next shrine, Futaarasan, which is dedicated to the gods of the surrounding mountains.  This is one sanctuary where visitors are allowed to take photographs inside, although I respected the privacy of a couple in the inner sanctuary for whom a monk was performing some type of service or ritual.

Down wide stone steps from this shrine is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun, as well as a statue of him.  These buildings face Toshogu Shrine to show respect for his elder.

Katie and Katya with their melon drinks

After a couple hours of shrines and temples, it was time for food.  The first noodle shop we saw looked appealing.  The busloads of tourists must have had set arrangements for lunch, perhaps bento on the buses, because the streets were nearly empty and we were the only customers at the restaurant.  The girls ordered tasty melon cream sodas.  I tried the local specialty, yuba, a soybean based food made only in Nikko and Kyoto (according to the guide books).  It has a much more interesting texture than tofu.  It was served in a bowl of udon noodles.  Although we had enjoyed the food at the udon shop in Tokyo, this was much more flavorful.

Since it was still early in the day, we decided to take a bus to Lake Chuzenji.  After we located the bus stop, we waited for a while alongside a group of Japanese tourists, who engaged us in conversation in English and Japanese.  They were very nice and helped us get on the right bus.  Katie did really well conversing with them in Japanese.

Katya and Katie at Chuzenji

The bus ride itself was an adventure.  The bus offered wide and comfortable seats and excellent views of the countryside.  After leaving the town, the road began winding up the mountainside one hairpin turn after another, the mist thickening to clouds around us.  The lake is at about 4000 feet elevation, and we broke through the clouds just as we entered the town.  From the bus stop, we had a choice of walking in one direction for a few minutes to the lake or the opposite direction to Kegon Falls.

paddle boats at a dock, Chuzenji

Unfortunately, we chose the lake first, for when we walked later to the falls, we could hear them but they were totally obscured by the clouds which had descended.  However, the lake is clear and beautiful with slopes of emerald, spring green and other delicate shades descending directly into the water.  It was quiet around the lake, but this resort area obviously has crowds on weekends or holidays, because there were docks lined with fanciful, colorful paddle boats shaped like swans, helicopters and ladybugs.  We had a pleasant stroll in the sunshine.  Along the way, we were surprised to see people waving at us from the windows of a lakeside hotel.  It was the women from the bus stop!!!  They must have been on holiday and just gone down to see the shrines in Nikko for the day.

Nikko's Sacred Bridge

As the afternoon clouds lowered, we caught the bus back to Nikko.  It had cost nearly 1000 yen for the ride up, which seemed a bit pricey to us.  Luckily, when we got back to town, the bus driver was unable to give us change for our 5000 yen paper currency, so we got a free ride!  We got off at Nikko's bright red Sacred Bridge.  This pedestrian structure was closed for the day so we could not cross it.  However, the fortunate thing was that we got to view it without crowds of people on it.  The Daiya River rages beneath the bridge and through the city of Nikko.  In fact, water seems to run everywhere in town, in moss and flower lined miniature canals along the streets, under the streets, beside the streets.  The sound of water is everywhere, increasing as you get closer to the roaring river itself.

Katie and Katya ready for the onsen

We bought food at yet another 7-11 (They're ubiquitous!) and ate it in our room, seated on the floor around a small table.  Finally, that evening, the girls got to experience an onsen, since the two at the Turtle Inn are small and private.  I took the one big enough for one person, and the girls actually got naked in front of each other and shared a bath.  It was refreshing and not too hot.  We couldn't get internet service at the inn, although it was supposedly available, so we read for a while and then went to sleep early.

This morning (Friday), Katya and I got up at 6:00 as planned.  Katie had misread the time and got up and ready at 5 a.m.  We went back to the 7-11 (five minute walk away) to buy food for breakfast, and then got back to the inn for our taxi, which was waiting for us at 7:00.  The train didn't depart until 7:30, so we had time to eat our breakfast in the waiting room at the station.  We were the only tourists on the train; the others were people on their way to work and lots of school children in uniforms.  We rode four different trains today to get to Kanazawa, all of them bullet trains except the first.  We arrived in Kanazawa, having passed through Tokyo again and other cities and then through small towns and rice fields flooded with water.  The cities are mostly gray, the countryside is verdant and green.

Kanazawa is one of the gray cities, but it has one of Japan's most famous gardens and is noted for its arts and crafts.  A taxi brought us to the Ryokan Sumiyoshiya.  We entered through the traditional doorway and were greeted by the owner.  Donning slippers, we followed her to our traditional Japanese rooms.  I have one of my own and the girls are sharing.  Since you pay per person, it made sense to make this arrangement.  The tatami-floored rooms are truly lovely, with paper sliding doors and cool green walls creating a very relaxing atmosphere.  Tea and a confection shaped like a walnut but containing a delicious sweet bean filling had been placed out for us.

It was actually difficult to leave this sanctuary and go out in the streets, but we forced ourselves out.  After getting ourselves oriented with a bit of difficulty to the winding streets, we walked passed the Kanazawa Castle grounds and near Kenrokuen Garden (again, a redundancy) to visit the Ishikawa Prefecture's Museum for Traditional Products and Crafts.  The exhibits are all well explained in English, and the examples of the local products were exquisite:  lacquer-ware, silks, shrines, gold-leaf work, pottery, ramie, woodcraft, taiko drums, masks, fishing lures, and musical instruments.  A woman was busy weaving silk on a traditional loom.  The gift shop had lovely items, but all a bit expensive.

Gold leaf on a wall in a courtyard

We walked to the Higashi Chaya district, the traditional geisha area of the city.  We were disappointed not to see any geisha, although they still perform here.  There were some shops open.  With trepidation, because it looked very upscale, we ventured into one.  Indeed, the items displayed were expensive but they were also very beautifully crafted and probably worth the prices.  The bonus, however, was a small courtyard, which, in itself, was charming, but was memorable for having a two-story outside wall covered in shiny gold leaf.  It was stunning.

Back at the ryokan, we relaxed for a while, then went to the dining room for our meal; dinner and breakfast are included in the very reasonable price for the high quality of this establishment.  We were served an abundance of food, much more than we could eat, and it was presented elegantly on lacquered trays with gold flecks.  Each bowl and plate was a work of art--some pottery, some lacquer-ware, some crafted wood.  The proprietress turned on a large wide-screen TV for our enjoyment.  After we had eaten, Katya tried various stations, finding a Japanese cartoon with Lilo and Stitch.

The girls have enjoyed the onsen here and are waiting for the computer, so I'll let them have a turn and take my turn at the bath. -- Sherri