THE STORY

Catriona had already visited Nikko earlier in the year, and recommended we go there for the day whilst staying in Tokyo.  We took a shinkansen through Tokyo station and north to Utsonomiya, a journey of around 45 minutes. The built-up coastal area seemed to go on and on as we passed through it at high speed, very smoothly.  But from Utsonomiya a local train wound its way up into the wooded hills, bumping along at a much more leisurely pace for another 45 minutes. 

The town of Nikko lies in a national park of the same name, with the highest peak at 2578m or around 8000 ft.  There are a great many places to visit, both cultural and natural, and these are set out in detail in English on the excellent Nikko Tourist Association website's Perfect Guide to Nikko. (Links are provided in this story to relevant sections in the guide, for readers looking for more background on each feature). This remote mountainous area might seem a strange out-of-the-way location to find one of the world’s finest collections of cultural treasures - now a World Heritage Site.  This was the result of a decision by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1634 to build a shrine there for his grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had unified all of Japan and set up a shogunate that lasted 250 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. 

According to the Lonely Planet guide, the work on the shrine and mausoleum took two years for an army of 15,000 craftsmen to complete.  “The grandeur of Nikko is intended to inspire awe; it is a display of wealth and power by a family that for nearly three centuries was the supreme arbiter of power in Japan”.  That helped explain why the temples and shrines here are so impressive, and rather different in style from those we saw elsewhere.  The guidebook also warned against visiting at the weekend because of crowds, so we went on a Thursday.

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The train delivered us to Nikko railway station.  We bought hot coffees at a vending machine then walked through to admire the façade of the timber and white stone building dating from 1890.  It was designed by the American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, founder of the Prairie School of architecture focusing on private homes – a rather incongruous structure to find at a Japanese cultural centre such as this, but he did also design a big hotel in Tokyo (see the Nikko Tourist Association page for more information). I had only heard his name through the old Simon and Garfunkel song, “So long, Frank Lloyd Wright”, but now know a bit more about him.

Two streets run parallel from here, west towards the temples, and then the southerly street joins the other one just before the Nikko Tourist Information Centre.  There were public toilets here as well.

We continued up the street, and called in to a couple of shops like those we had seen elsewhere, selling a wide range of souvenirs and beautifully packaged gift items. The street crossed a river to a T-junction with a main road.  Just to the left the sacred Shinkyo Bridge was under restoration, and hidden from view.  Crossing the main road, we walked up lots of steps and past a statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

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The first stop was the forecourt of the Rinnoji Temple, where we bought all-in tickets for the various monuments.  It also covered the Shoyo-en garden, which we walked round first of all.  Only a small garden set out around a pond, it had a neat little path and some delightful viewpoints.  We also caught sight of some of the big fat carp of various colours, coming up for air and no doubt hoping to be fed.

We returned to the forecourt, where a big cauldron stood under a metal canopy and broad steps led up to the main temple building, the Hall of the Three Buddhas. After a quick look we went to the left to join the main drive.  This led through woodland, and some of the overhanging branches were festooned with folded prayer papers.

At the top of the drive, steps led up through a massive stone torii (shrine gate) to an equally imposing 5-storey pagoda.  Another gateway stood beyond it, and here I first noticed what seemed to be a distinctive feature of the shrine gateways in Nikko – the life-size mythical figures standing in each gatepost, as if guarding the way through.  The colourful statues with fearsome expressions could easily deter those of a nervous disposition. The Perfect Guide to Nikko says they are images of the Nioh, a pair of Deva kings, guardians of Buddhism. 

On the other side we arrived at the warehouses, and the first one on the left carried on its façade the famous “Three Monkeys” carving (hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil).  Underneath was a stable from which emerged the white face of a horse.  Next to it, a sign indicated it was a Sacred Horse.  “Koha is his name, meaning ‘gift’ in Maori language.  He is the second sacred horse donated by the New Zealand Government as a token of goodwill and friendship between the two countries.  There is no other sacred horse donated from abroad serving in any shrine in Japan at present.”  Later, in Miyajima, we visited another shrine where a wooden replica horse was in use.

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We toured the various buildings of the Toshugu Shrine, admiring the exceptionally detailed carvings around the doorways and the lines of stone lanterns outside.  In one of the halls, a monk banged two sticks together to demonstrate the sound effects – the clap ringing around the room was supposed to sound like the roaring of a dragon. We stretched out imaginations a little and savoured the experience of being there in a Shinto shrine away in the wooded hills of Japan, in a place steeped in history. Centuries earlier, these floors and pathways would have been trodden by warriors dressed like those immortalised in the gateways.

From here we returned through the main gate and sat down near the pagoda for a drink and bite to eat.  Then we moved on to the next shrine, Futarasan, through another stone torii.  Just beyond it was an enormous rack of bales of rice and other provisions, and around the forecourt were the usual stands with wooden prayer boards and souvenir counters.  There were more shrine buildings to visit behind these. Massive ornate lanterns and golden roofs were all around us. Many of the carvings were highlighted in colours of gold and jade. We then climbed up a long flight of steps through tall cedar trees to the Taiyuin Temple.  We were able to go inside after removing our shoes. Fewer visitors had made their way this far - it was much more tranquil and atmospheric, gazing out from the lanterns, through the tops of the tall trees. Back down at the bottom of the steps, a group of women in traditional clothes sat beside the gateway and watched us go past.  

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This completed our tour around most of the monuments of Nikko.  Although there were many similar features among them, each had its distinctive character and atmosphere.  In some way the gloomy weather heightened the sense of timelessness, and probably helped to restrict the number of visitors so we didn’t have to stand in queues.  For further details on the temples, shrines, and trails in the countryside, it's worth visiting the Tourist Assocaition website.

On the way out we passed a shop and toilets.  This gave me the opportunity to photograph the Japanese compromise between traditional and western WCs – have one of each!  Not content with that, the Japanese version of a western-style WC has various electronic extras including a seat warmer (see photo in Japan background page).

This route took us onto the main road up from the bridges.  We started looking for somewhere for a late lunch, but didn’t see anything very tempting.  Returning to the main street of Nikko, the old timber buildings stood out against the heavy sky (see photo).  We decided to go to the little restaurant that Catriona had visited in the spring with her Mum Maggie and cousin Nadia.  By then it was 3 pm but the place was still open.  The elderly woman seemed to remember her, and we took up two of only 10 places.  Behind Catriona, the wall was covered with business cards and written greetings from visitors from all over the world.  We both enjoyed a splendid meal that was basically Japanese kebabs with rice, noodles and vegetables, and chatted to an American backpacker finishing off her meal at the next table.  She had spent the night in a hut in the forest, near a family of sleeping deer.  After taking a picture of Catriona with the proud hostess, we set off again. 

Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne

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