Temple town
Trip Start
Nov 04, 2007
1
8
9
Trip End
Nov 14, 2007
Nikko, Japan
Monday, November 12, 2007
The main reason to come to Nikko is to visit the Toshogu Shrine which is a very large network of temples. There was more of the same kind of stuff I'd been seeing at other shrines-lanterns, torris, temples, etc. There was a beautiful garden and absolutely stunning fall foliage. I have really enjoyed getting a dose of fall while I have been in Japan! There are a couple of things unique to these temples. The first one is that the hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys are here. Apparently this is where they originated, I never knew! There is also a carving of a sleeping kitten here that is famous throughout Japan because it is supposed to be very lifelike. Didn't really look that real to me, but what do I know. There was also a cute little bridge in town called Shin-Kyo over the Daiya River. Supposedly a Buddhist was carried across the river by two huge serpents years ago at that very spot.
