The
Lonely Planet Guide says that a visit to Nikko must be included in "even
the most whirlwind tour of Japan." We went there as a day trip from
Tokyo and I kept thinking they must have meant "only on the most whirlwind
tour." I'm glad we went to Nikko, but after discovering so many
uncrowded, out-of-the-way sights in places like Hagi and Matsue, and expecting
Nikko to be a highlight of our trip, I found it quite disappointing. It
didn't help that it rained much of the day, and we got lost after getting off
the bus at the wrong stop. Certainly anyone with limited time in Tokyo for
sight-seeing should spend a day in Nikko if they can manage to get away from the
city.
Actually
wandering around some back roads lost in Nikko was the most interesting part of
the day, although I was naturally somewhat apprehensive about finding our
way. Of course eventually we backtracked and found the hordes of tourists
visiting the many attractions of Nikko, but not before it occurred to me that
where we were lost was virtually indistinguishable from a back road in New
Hampshire. I took the photo of the brook to the right with that thought in
mind; if you look at the enlarged image you will see some stonework that would
be out of place in the America, but otherwise the picture could have been taken
in Thornton, New Hampshire.
Nikko
is famous for its temples and shrines, and for the tomb of Tokugawa
Ieyesu, about whom I know virtually nothing except that I think he was the
basis for the Shogun character in the James
Clavell book and mini-series (I realize I am being a boor but bear with me
please). As we were wandering around Nikko trying to find the major
attractions, I was amused to find the local Episcopal church, which you can see
in the photo at left.
More
typical of Nikko are these various statues of Buddha that we would come across;
these are all somewhat off-the-beaten path in Nikko. I especially like the
stone Buddha to the right with its knit cap.
Nikko
