Day 9 - "Magnificent sceneries in a small City"

Nikko (Japanese for Sunlight) is a town about 2 hours away from the centre of Tokyo by train. Traveling to is free with the JR-pass. I took the Shinkansen to Utsonomiya station followed by another uphill train to Nikko, the start of a vast nature reserve, full of temples and shrines and a Unesco world heritage site. The train arrives in a town that breaths rest, peace and quietness. Which felt rather refreshing after spending 3 days in the buzzing city of Tokyo. I followed the road with tiny local stores towards the Shinkyo bridge. A picturesque bridge, crossing the light blue water coming from the mountains. It was constructed in 1636, based on the design of an ancient bridge that used to the only entrance to the shrines about a decade ago.

I followed the river upstream and found the lined up Jizu statues. It felt like such a majestic place, as it was just me, the natural scenic and the statues, all different and unique watching over the bulging river below. As the sound of the river got louder more and more Jizu statues appeared, clothed with red caps and babero. Jizu are the protectors of the souls of travelers and unborn childeren. They are also called the ghost-Jizo, because legend says each time you count the number of statues the total will never come out the same. I did count 71 statues, but didn’t do a recount, so if anyone counted them, let me know :) I took some time to make photos and walked back through the mountains. Especially around the Shinkyo bridge there are numerous old stone chairs and temples to be found.

From there, I took the bus to the top of the mountain where the Kegon waterfall is situated. Rather comical was the payment procedure. When I stepped in the bus the driver said something I couldn’t understand and pointed at the side. I still didn’t understand so he got up and gave me a ticket with a number. The number corresponded with a price on the screen above the driver. At the end of the ride you simply look at the screen for the price and pay for the ride.

A beautiful one way winding road with 48 hairpin turns lead us to the top. A mekka for motorcyclists. The bus stopped at a small village that is known for its hot springs. Located at the chuzenji mountain lake that was formed after the eruption of a vulcano. The Kegon waterfall is situated near the lake, a powerfull waterfall of 100 metres high with an observation platform far above the flowing river offering a good view.

Nikko is beautiful. The scenic nature, the mythical shrines and the epic winding roads far up the towering mountains make it a must visit place in my opinion. Together with all the open space and quietness, it was such a welcome change during my trip.