Saturday afternoon we arrived in Nikko. Almost immediately we started walking to see Nikko's reason to visit. But pretty soon we had the feeling of being in a small town and with all the temples next to each other. If I remember properly there were 5 temples. They were not that special (as usual). Only this picture of a pagoda was worth seeing:
The next picture are the "three wise monkeys hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil". Again a belief with origins in an ancient folk faith, typical Japanese. But in some way I do think that these monkeys are famous.
A visit to a villa build in 1899 as the emperor's residence shows that also Kristof could have been tall during that period. (yes, that's a door opening)
On Sunday we took the bus to Lake Chuzenji, which is higher located than Nikko. And as a present we've got a lot of wind, snow and cold temperatures. But that was nothing compared to what we've got next. I made an online reservation for a hotel. When we finally arrived it appeared to be closed. And I have to say that the weather circumstances weren't the best to take a walk and find something else. Suddenly an angel saw us and bought us to a partner hotel a few hundreds meter further. The hotel we stayed in was a nightmare. The owners were Indian and they weren't exactly familiar with the concept of proper heating. It was ice cold inside. It seemed like we were the only guests. I had the feeling that the concept in 'the shining' wasn't such a crazy idea. When we left a floor they turned off the light, no warm water,... It's clear that I I was totally not satisfied. Only the onsen was 'soso'. Later that day, when the sky was clear, we saw some very astonishing views of mountains and the lake with a touch of snow. Though, the touch of snow was more than expected so hiking in the mountains became impossible. We were not prepared for heavy snow circumstances. Yes, yes why did we go to the north without being prepared... We didn't even bring the right shoes. Instead we visited the Kegon falls. This waterfall is supposed to be 97m high and is ones of Japan's three highest waterfalls.
On Monday, after one night in our unforgettable hotel we took off to Sendai. Ans always we thought we had time enough and we made a brief stop in Azu-Wakamatsu. Only a few hours out of our way. But in the end it was worth going there. We arrived late in the afternoon but had time enough to visit Azu-Wakamatsu's Samurai castle. I liked the castle which is clearly not in the picture below. Kristof was a fan of the garden and especially the moats.
That evening we reached Sendai. Mizuho had arranged an hotel for us. For a good price we could stay in the hotel where her sister works. We've had a large and really nice room. On Tuesday we didn't visit Sendai, but instead we made a trip to Matsushima, this is a one hour train ride from Sendai. In Matsushima are 250 small islands in one bay. The major vegetation on these islands consists of pine trees. Also this place belongs to a number three list. Not of 'waterfalls' off course but 'nice views'. It's a poor man's version compared to Stockholm's archipelago. Though it was nice walking there. And the Lonely Planet doesn't know the difference between wood and metal. The bridge was red and 252m long, but wasn't, for sure, made of wood, tsss.
A few stops farther brought us to Oku-Matsushima, where we made a walk on the beach and joined a great boat trip, which allowed us to enjoy the 40 meter high canyon.
On Wednesday we spent a day together with Mizuho. She picked us up at the hotel with her parent's car. Cars can come in handy if you think about it. The main exercise we did that day was sitting in the onsen(hotspring). It was relaxing in a warm bath with some snowflakes swirling on our heads. In the evening the three of us went out for dinner in a traditional Japanese restaurant. And I have to say I liked it (yesyes, I liked it). Afterward Mizuho went home to celebrate New Year's Eve with her family. We went back to the hotel. From our room we saw the main street of Sendai. Around midnight they turned the street/Christmas lights off and on again. Big spectacle hé ;o) Going out on New Years eve is not done, so we went to bed early.
On Thursday we headed to Yamadera to see a temple complex, which is partly situated on a mountain. But also here the hike and the snow where worth going there. The temples made little impression.
Friday we went to Kakunodate. A small Samurai town with real ancient Samurai houses. Interesting to see how they lived and also our guide managed to keep my attention (or maybe it was because I always pay attention the first 10 minutes) . That same day Kristof wanted to make a scenic train route. But the train timetables weren't particularly well matched. And when we finally started the scenic route it appeared to be not so scenic. Grrr... stupid Lonely Planet.
Saturday we made a boat trip in Geibi-kei. We saw cliffs, trees, water,.. all of that with a shining sun. But listen what we appreciated the most:
Afterwards we visited a temple complex, built in 850, in Hiraizumi. Fourty temples were built to reach the Buddhist Utopia. But a fire destroyed almost all the temples, only two survived. :o) Lucky as they were... And off course they built new temples and shrines afterwards. And after talking so much about the temples we didn't like, you only get to see one picture of a temple...On Sunday it took us about eleven hours to reach Tokyo. The price you pay when you don't wanna spent your money to buy tickets for the Shinkansen (the Japanese TGV). And sleeping in your own bed feels good.
This last picture is an overview of our trip (in black). Tokyo is situated at the bottom left side.
This last picture is an overview of our trip (in black). Tokyo is situated at the bottom left side.
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