Nikko

Hi all!

I’m finally down to my last post from my Japan trip in Mar/Apr. My last full day in Japan was spent at Nikko. If you do not have a JR pass, you can get a day pass from the tourist information centre located right outside Asakusa station. However, my JR pass did cover the JR ride down to JR Nikko, so I bought the chuzenjiko onsen pass (2000 yen) from the local Nikko train station (right beside the JR station) instead. This made it cheaper and I could enjoy unlimited bus rides to/fro to the places I wanted to visit. Side track, my first and only picture with the Shinkansen, just for memory sake 🙂

I actually dropped off at the wrong stop and ended up at taking the ropeway (600 yen/adult) to a viewing platform. It is actually quite pretty to see the water flowing from Lake Chuzenji to form the Kegon waterfall. This was not in my initial plan because it was slightly pricey and my money was stretching slightly thin by then. But as I mentioned, I blindly followed the majority of locals who got off the bus, wrongly assuming it would lead to the observation deck to see the waterfall up close. It turned out to be an unorthodox hiking point of sorts for the locals as they started climbing up an unmarked path with warnings of bears into the forest. I was slightly befuddled and lost at this point and headed back down to the carpark to await for the bus. Spent some time looking at the bus stops led me to realise I got off 1 stop early. Silly me!

Finally at the correct place! The elevator ride (return) costs 550 yen and it gives you the opportunity to witness the falls up close. In my opinion, this is truly the best way to enjoy and capture the beauty of the falls.

Had suiton (vegetarian dumpling soup) at this store below – located right outside the Kegon falls elevator. It totally hit the spot in this cold weather. Topped it up with a yuba croquette (fried tofu skin) and a cup of amazake.

From here, headed down to Toshogu shrine (1380 yen/adult) which I was hesitant to visit because of mixed reviews about how overrated it was. But I genuinely enjoyed my time here even though part of the main shrine building was under construction.

The “hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil” monkeys are located here and they are honestly quite small (though not the smallest of the iconic wood carvings).

Right opposite the monkeys are the Sonozono elephants.

The tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The super small wood carving of the sleeping cat (nemurineko) of the Sakashitamon gate that leads to a flight of stairs to the tomb. 

Beautiful paintings of the dragon on the ceiling.

Aside from that, there’s the Honjido hall that house the “crying dragon”. This is due to the acoustics of the ceiling (where a dragon is painted). Only when one stands under the dragon’s head, can a ringing sound be heard when 2 blocks of wood are clapped together. This is performed by a priest and it is pretty cool to witness it. Unfortunately, no photography/videography was allowed in the hall.

Ended the day by popping by Shinkyo bridge which was located in the middle of the road. You can pay a fee to get on the bridge, but I think it is best seen at a distance (and free). Nikko can be fairly expensive to visit as a day trip, but it was worth it. Till the next post, bye!

Hakone

Hi all!

I visited Hakone today and it was a pretty pricey visit. I got the day pass (4000 yen/adult) that would cover the ropeway/cablecar journey to Owakudani, ferry and bus rides around the area. But there was strong winds that day, so the ropeway ride to Owakudani was closed. This meant I had to pay extra for a bus ride to get to Owakudani. When we arrived, strong winds immediately blew us in the direction of the souvenir shop as we attempted to seek coverage. It was hard to move around outside without getting blown away. The little glimpse I’ve seen of the area was utterly subpar compared to the volcano in Ijen crater. It was an entirely hyped up area and most people were here for the black eggs.

After another bus journey back down to Lake Ashi (additional fare), I hopped onto the pirate ferry to Togendai. But due to large crowd and strong winds, there was not enough seats going around in the sheltered deck, so most people stood for the entire journey. Not entirely pleasant.

Got some soy sauce dango to ward off the hunger pangs. It was quite good with a mixed of sweet and saltiness from the reduced soy sauce the dango was covered in. I then visited the Hakone-machi checkpoint museum (400 yen/adult) which was pretty interesting.

A horizontally placed candle in a light holder.

Steps up to the guard house that overlooks Lake Ashi. A superbly beautiful view but it was freezing cold due to strong winds. Don’t be deceived by the good weather in the pictures.

It was so cold I got a spicy bowl of noodles to warm up the body. The server was also really sweet. I was sniffling due to the spice and she brought me tissues and a cup of cold water automatically. It’s so heart warming the attention they pay to customers to make their dining experience a pleasant one.

From Togendai, I wanted to head to see the Hakone shrine by ferry but the ferry was closed this time around due choppy waters. -.- See how wasted my day pass was. Fortunately there was a bus service that operated to the town that was covered by my day pass.

What a view! And the waters was really clear too!

See the Hakone shrine below!

There was actually a queue to get a picture with the shrine. But as I was alone and all, I saw no point in queuing. Got a quick snap instead before heading back to Tokyo. Was craving for coco ichibanya and I made the right order this time around with the pork katsu. A visit to Hakone was quite meh, but till the next post, bye!

Part I: Inari

Hi all!

I headed off early to Inari on my last day in Kyoto. Perhaps a little too early as the sun was just starting to rise. But having the whole place to yourself as you walk past the tori gates makes it feel like a peaceful adventure. I made it up to the mid-point before my knees started procrastinating. I headed down as the sky started to brighten and left for Uji as the crowds slowly streamed in. Till the next post, bye!