Centre > Travel diaries > Japan 2000 > p8: The splendor of Nikko
Thursday September 7
There is a Japanese proverb that says: "Don't use the word 'splendid' before you see Nikko". I could not agree more. No place on earth is as breathtaking, and I have seen many! Anne took me there on a 2-day trip, as it is a long way from Tokyo and we also wanted to see Edo Mura. We dropped our luggage at the youth hostel (that is, once we had found it, hidden near the river) and made for the first group of temples.
Right:The river at Nikko.
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Above: The way to the temples...
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It had been raining for several days so the air was still wet, and mist was clinging to the tree-covered mountainsides It gave the whole place, which is beautifully nested between bushy peaks, a very appropriate feel. I expected a samurai to materialize out of the fog any moment. The mausoleum complex is huge and includes many very intricate buildings including a sacred stable, a drum tower, and naturally, the Toshogu shrine that is the heart of Nikko. This shrine is the mausoleum of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Tokugawa shogun. He initiated a policy that closed off Japan from the rest of the world for 200 years and allowed it to flourish on all levels. |
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In the midst of this superhuman splendor (if you saw the size of the trees and the contribution of mist and moss you'd know what I mean) one finds very human touches. The Sacred Stable for instance is famous for its carving of the Sanzarukun: Kikazaru, Wazaru and Mizaru. You probably know them as the three monkeys: Hear no evil, Speak no evil and See no evil. The Sakshita-mon gate sports a sculpted sleeping cat. Yet the most amazing thing in the complex is Naki-ryu, the Weeping Dragon. It is a room with a large dragon painted on the ceiling, and a floor lacquered in black. A monk stands there with clappers and hits them together hard: when the acute sound echoes through the room one distinctly sees drops of water appearing on the floor, having fallen from the dragon above. |
The Sleeping Cat, Nimui Neko.
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The Weeping Dragon, Naki Ryu.
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Our stay was so short that we didn't get to explore more distant shrines; we walked around the village instead. Nikko village is absolutely delightful, tiny yet full of life, hours away from the city yet equipped with the latest facilities aside from the traditional ones. I will be back at that youth hostel, for a longer stay. |
Flip to Page 9: Ninjas in Edo Mura. |
