Day 10 - Nikko - Thur Jul 4

Nikkō Tōshogū, Mausoleum & Other Shrines

This area has lots to see, museums, gardens, shrines and temples.

My favorite was the Mausoleum but unfortunately you don’t actually get to go that far, only all the gates, paths, prayer room leading up to it.

There were upside down pillars on one of the shrines with a sign that explained, once perfection is achieved, deterioration is inevitable. So the thought is if you intentionally add imperfections, you can avoid it deteriorating later. So the way I explained this to my kids was, I’m obviously pretty perfect in every way. So the reason I curse so much is to introduce an imperfection, to prevent myself from falling apart. Unfortunately they didn’t buy it.  I think they are too young to appreciate the depth of the philosophy.

Shinkyō Bridge & The Rain

Got to experience my first real rainfall in Japan. Holy smokes. The kids and I braved the rain in an attempt for a photo op. I couldn’t even  take the photo because drops keep hitting my phone screen and registering as finger presses. In one spot the water was half a foot deep. We saw a waterfall in what a few moments ago had been a staircase. 

Irohazaka Winding Road

You really need to drive the Irohazaka winding roads yourself to experience it properly. Check out some aerial views here. Just make sure to bring ear plugs if you aren’t alone as the screams from all the passengers can be more than a little distracting. How rude.

Kegonno Falls & Lake Chūzenji

The falls were nice and there was an elevator to take you to the bottom, but it was already closed when we got there. In fact the entire town had pretty much shut down at around 5. All the stores were closed; there was only the odd tourist lurking about. It was like something out of an apocalypse movie. A stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Kanmangafuchi Abyss - Haunted Hike

My itinerary had us going a bit late, but I still wanted to do the Abyss hike. The sun was already setting. It was beside a creek which was now raging because of the recent heavy rains. The path was lined by numerous "jizo" stone statues of Buddhist monks. They all had blood red caps and bibs.  But some of their faces looked quite life-like and they looked spooky in the dim light. We took a different path on the way back and discovered an old cemetery in the middle of a dense forest. Only Aden and I went in to investigate. At this point it was so dark we were using our phones as flashlights… The tombs looked ancient and some had coins placed on them and fresh flowers. Perhaps we were supposed to leave an offering before we left.

Later, back at the hotel someone noticed blood on the floor near the entrance and tracked it down to a bloody shoe. It was Aden’s. Sure enough, he had a cut on his foot. He didn’t even notice. Later we found blood in the carpet by the living room. Aden swore he had never been there. I checked my foot and it has been cut as well. So I was the culprit, but I never noticed until that point either. Very spooky…

This little bugger was getting all aggressive with me. Maybe I should have stopped poking him.