Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Two Days in Nikko (by Mark & Mary)

Nikko was high on our list of places to see. Some of you probably know that Mark was born at Yakota Air Force Base about 45 minutes outside of Tokyo, and that his professional work centers on the religions of East Asia, including Japan. Nikko is the "shrine central" with World Heritage Sites as the centerpiece. It's also a place where Mark's parents brought him when he was a baby, so it's sentimental in that way, too.

Bullet train from Tokyo

Bullet Trains and Baths

We took our first bullet train (fabulous) and a few other connecting trains that got us to Nikko mid-afternoon. We stashed our luggage and took a hike into the mountains for a look at the shrines and temples. We passed the reconstructed shin-kyo (famous bridge), and ran into some Stormtroopers. (Yes, you read that right. See below.)

Mark and Maura went for a hike to check out a line of Jizo statues (protector of women, children and travelers) by the river, while Kara and I headed to the ryokan to

At the Annex Turtle Hotori-An

watch the end of the sumo matches. Exhausted, we were in for the night. The girls and I took a traditional Japanese bath, which entails washing yourself head to toe in a communal shower, rinsing big time, then heading into a soaking tub filled with hot spring water. It could have been an amazingly relaxing experience. However, it was not as the girls approached this as their private swimming pool and decided to do laps instead. Obviously, we have many lessons to learn together.

Shrine and Temple Hopping

Nikko was founded in the 8th century when a priest named Shonin established a hermitage in the mountains. It's a beautiful place filled with towering cedars and beautiful stone pathways. It was also teeming with tourists like us--mostly Japanese.

Rinno-ji under construction

We went to Tosho-gu, the main shrine, which had many ornate buildings around it. The girls are getting pretty good at the purification ritual with water, which you do before approaching every shrine. It's about washing away the impurities so you can offer prayers and thanksgiving with a pure heart, mind and body--a practice that we've never done before, but that we're finding meaning in.

Part of bigger story about leading a good life

A few shrines are under renovation so they'll be ready in 2020 when Japan hosts the Olympics. Mark had his heart set on seeing Sanbutsudo Hall at Rinno-ji (temple), which is under construction. But the architects did something truly brilliant to keep visitors coming and money flowing to the town almost completely dependent on tourism. They built a structure around it, moved the statues, paintings and other contents to the outside walls, and created a seven story museum where tourists can watch the intricate work of reconstructing this 400 year-old building. Loved seeing how it will all fit together without nails -- basically, a massive 3-D puzzle.

Elephants imagined

We all liked the "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" carvings in one of the buildings surrounding the shrine, and the ornate elephants that had been carved by an artist who had never seen an elephant, but who had heard descriptions of the beasts from others who had traveled outside of Japan. We got to see a private Shinto ritual being performed by a priest, and listen to a talk in the Taiyuin-byo (another shrine). Kara also found a gate with her name on it -- the Kara-mon Gate.

Take the Last Train to Gifu

We ended the day on a train to the smallish city of Gifu, where we'll stay for three days and do a series of day trips. More to come!

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