Nikko

This past weekend Woods and I went to Nikko, a small town in the mountains.

(about 120km north of Tokyo)

The plan was to spend one night there and then head back to Yokosuka. Even though I'd researched some hostels before leaving, we didn't make any reservations. As soon as we arrived we headed to a Ryokan, called Rindou-no-ie, that wasn't too far from the station. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese Inn. This one was small. It's owned by an older japanese couple and is really just a house with a bunch of Tatami rooms. We found it and knocked on the door. The little old man, Sizuo, opened up and showed us around in broken English. He was adorable. We took our shoes off at the doorway and put on some slippers. Our little room rocked. Sizuo came in with Tea and a map and marked everything important or useful on it. He then generously offered to drive us pretty much anywhere we wanted to go. I just wanted to hug him, he was sooo cute.

Nikko is known for its unique temple and shrine. It's supposed to be super busy there in the summer. This time of year there's snow all around and it's quiet. The shrine was built in the early 1600s for a shugun who wanted to be remembered as a god. Normal Japanese temples and shrines are built in the Shinto tradition; very simple, straight lines, not a lot of decoration or color. Nikko's little collection though has a lot of chinese/buddhist influence. The buildings have tons of color and are very ornate. It doesn't really go with the image of Japan that I've acquired so far. Unfortunately, the big, main temple was being renovated so we didn't actually get to see it.

Still cool though. After about an hour we set off back toward town to look for a restaurant Sizuo had recommended. After passing by it, even stopping to read the signs and continuing on, looking for it like morons, we found it :) It was warm and delicious.

There was another couple (Tamara & Markus) eating there as well and after taking pictures of each other we discovered that they were from Switzerland, had just spent a few weeks in Australia and were, hilariously, staying at our little ryokan as well. They were super nice and we not only ended up walking back together, but we all decided to visit a nearby Onsen. Onsens are hot springs. They're public baths that are sort of like spas. They're natural hot tubs. Again, we walked in, took our shoes off and separated. The boys to the boys' side and the girls to the girls'. It was sort of awkward at first since you're supposed to go in completely naked. The japanese women who were there just walked around in their nothings like it was nothing, but Tamara and I stayed wrapped in our towels until the last possible second. Haha. We talked about our travels and background and just relaxed. We could hear the guys bonding over on the other side of the wall and kept commenting on how loud they were being. It was a really nice change from freezing all day long. After showering and getting dressed, the four of us hung out, had a drink and talked while we waited for Sizuo to come get us. It was fun. We made friends :)

The next morning we got up early and headed to the station to catch a bus up to Nikko National Park. The bus took us up crazy switch backs up the snow covered mountain. It was funny. The bus was so full that we had to stand for the first few stops that went through town. At one point, Erik and I were the only ones left standing. The bus driver said something over the intercom and it took us a few moments, people smiling, pointing and eventually waving at us to realize that he was talking to us. They were all trying to tell us to go to the back to sit down. A nice lady showed us how to fold over some seats that allow standing passengers to sit in the aisle. It was really kind of embarrassing. We must've looked so silly to everyone. :)

When we got up the mountain we were greeted by a lot of snow and a freezing gust of wind. It was a cute, tiny little town. Erik said it reminded him of Lake Tahoe in the winter. There is a lake so I'm taking his word for it. In addition the lake, however, there is a 100 meter tall waterfall. It's supposed to be glorious in the summer, but it's really not too shabby in the winter either. It was almost half frozen and the snow made it look really, really cool. Here's a video:

So that was our weekend. We made it back to Yokosuka safe and sound after stopping in Tokyo to wander around for a little while. Luckily, Woods had monday off so we were able to sleep in and chill out the next day. Now he's back at work. Boo.

But it was super fun. We stayed at an amazing place, met really cool people, saw some pretty things and frolicked in the snow. I'll post some cool pics on facebook soon.

Bam.