Today’s journey started at this impressive 1931 building, the region’s first skyscraper-style station and department store. A recent face lift restored its original elegant exterior with the classic window grids and big station clock and the shopping area has been renamed EKIMISE.
Inside we found our platform easily and took the Tobu line train to Nikko, taking just under 2hrs.
It took ages to clear the urban sprawl of Tokyo, but finally we were into farmland …
… and then the mountains.
We picked up a hiking map at the station then got the local bus to B&B Turtle Hotori-An to leave our luggage.
Straight away we realised that our initial plan for the next couple of days needed to account for the slightly drizzly weather and that everywhere seemed a bit further apart than we expected!
We began by visiting the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, but before we had got too far, Chris spotted the Kanman teahouse!
Soba Dango are a traditional Japanese sweet treat made here with buckwheat. We had one with miso glaze and the other with a soy glaze … miso won!
As we left we saw a sign we certainly weren’t expecting … bears … here!?!
The path follows the river and is lined with small statues wearing red caps and bibs.
These are Jizo statues, images of the kind Buddhist god who protects children, travelers, and souls in the afterlife. They are wearing red as this is believed to ward off evil spirits and illness.
In 1902 a great flood swept through Kanman Gorge, washing away the Jiunji Temple and damaging most of the statues. Since then, their number seems to change whenever they are counted so they are sometimes called phantom Jizos.
As we continued we came to the Reihikaku Pavilion where written prayers would be burned in the altar, thereby delivering the prayers to the deity Fudo.
Returning, we headed next to the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa which was built in 1899 as a health retreat for then Crown Prince Yoshihito, and later used as a royal summer residence until it was closed in 1947.
The heart is an Edo period building gifted to the royal family around which later buildings have been added … and it sprawls … with over 100 rooms! After years of disuse, it was opened to the public in 2000. We removed our shoes to walk round, and here is the audience chamber, but the rest was unfurnished with no decoration so seemed a bit uninspiring.
The best views were to the garden outside.
It was already mid afternoon, so just time to see Rinnoji Temple as it was the first in the area, founded by Shodo Shonin, the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to Nikko in the C8th.
The hall has been recently restored and is very splendid. Inside are statues of the three Buddhist deities representing Nikko’s three mountain gods enshrined at Futarasan Shrine.
We also saw the beautifully decorated Pagoda Toshogu Gojunoto, built in 1818 to replace the original which burnt down.
On the way back down was this statue of Shodo Shonin …
… and some quite steep stairs!
At the bottom was the Shinkyo Bridge which has been a crossing to the temples and shrines since 1636 and is an iconic image of Nikko.
Our B&B is a bit of a walk back, so we decided to eat early and save a walk later. Most of the visitors seem to come on a day trip so evening restaurants are limited, and veggie ones more so. We weren’t really planning a curry, but the Nikko Taj did us proud with one of the best curries we’ve had for ages!!
One of the biggest attractions of our B&B is its private onsen with water from the Nikko Hot Springs. It’s a simple system, if it is vacant you can use it for 30 minutes morning or evening! Etiquette has to be followed, so we changed into our yukata (remembering to fold the right side under as the other way is reserved for funerals!)
Once in the bathroom we locked the outer door, disrobed, and entered the inner bathroom where we showered first to make sure we were spotless before entering the bath for a soak. There is a panoramic window, but at night it was black outside and nothing to see. It certainly ensured we had a good night’s sleep.
