Train, Bus, Temple + Nature
Train, bus, temple, nature and return. That is what I did today. Kind of like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles without the disasters. Saturday was our "free day" so six of us decided to go to Nikko in the Japanese countryside. We all wanted to experience something totally different from our stay in Tokyo, so we left at 6:30 am this morning, hopped on the Ginza Line to the edge of the city and took a Limited Express two hours out into the countryside. The added plus is we got to see what we passed on the train. We saw rice paddies, villages, mountains, rivers and graveyards to name a few things.
We arrived in Nikko in the mountains and proceeded to the local visitors center. We experienced our first non-western toilet here, so we took pictures. One of the things we discussed at length today is the role reversal we are experiencing on this trip. In America, we are the majority, not the minority. People always make fun of Asian tourists because they take lots of pictures of what we feel are the oddest things. Now the roles are reversed. We took pictures of a toilet folks and found it incredibly interesting in function and form. Our everyday expectations of society have been altered. Japan is known as The Quiet Society. They take less personal and physical space everywhere they go. Americans spread out and take lots of room. They are quiet in voice. Americans are much louder. The Japanese try to live lightly in the world. America is built as a consumer society. Case in point, there are almost no public trash cans in Japan. In America, they are in every corner of a public space. Yet, this country is EXTREMELY clean. Not a cigarette butt, candy wrapper or soda can to be found. Public spaces are swept daily often times by hand. People carry their trash with them and dispose of it at home. Recycling bins sort everything in public spaces from the plastic cup lid to the hamburger wrapper. As a culture, the Japanese do not eat and walk - ever. Food is taking only sitting. It is simply amazing.
Moving on, we went to a Shinkyo Bridge. This was used to get people over the river and to the temple and shrine. Is this not what you think of when you think of Japan. Beautiful! The river is run-off from the mountains and is crystal clear. We next went to the Rinnoji Taiyuin Temple.
This is an HUGE complex of buildings. We saw three golden Budda in different stages. I also got a Temple Book. This is an accordion fold book that is taken temple to temple and you can take it to a monk and have their temple signature placed in your book as a record of your visit. He even put my name in Japanese on the cover! Score!
Another unexpected surprise was that we happened to visit the temple at the time of a Buddhist wedding. It was really interesting. Take a look at the bride dressed in white.
The entire family processed into the space and met the priest, then music played and the wedding began.
After the temple, we stopped at a gift shop where several people made purchases. One of our party who shall remain nameless, decided to buy a wooded pagoda to show in her classroom. She THOUGHT she was paying $27 for said pagoda, BUT when she came to proudly show us her purchase, we told her she had just spent $270 on the pagoda. We quickly found out that Japan does have a return policy.
Next we got on a bus and went to Kegon Falls about 50 minutes outside Nikko proper. This is the largest waterfall in Japan and flows from Lake Chuzenji. It was beautiful as you can see. It was while we where at the falls that we found ICE CREAM! Remember, we move from one food event to another. The lake was just down the road and we saw these funny swan boats out on the lake. Check out the mountains in the background. This lake is formed from a inactive volcano and is 900 feet deep and very cold. No swimming for me.
Back on the bus, we made hairpin curves by the dozen to get back down to Nikko. Talk about vertical driving. These drivers do not slow down at all and make these curves very quickly. At the bottom, there was a little more shopping and best of all ----- DINNER! We shopped in Japanese g
rocery and got bento boxes for the trip home. These are box lunches with chopsticks. We had the best time buying food we could not identify. I had a bento box and sushi, some kind of pastry fill with a light yam cream , Pocky (chocolate cover breadsticks) and chilled green tea that is nothing like we have in America. Here I am with my bento box waiting for the Limited Express. Two and a half hours later, we were back to our hotel. I had to pack all my shopping up in a bag to be left at the Prince Akasaka as we move hotel tomorrow in preparation for our university visit on Monday. All the bags have to be packed and loaded up as this show goes on the road. Next stop Itabashi-ku!
Hope all is well in Texas. Keep reading as I enter week two.
Timsan
We arrived in Nikko in the mountains and proceeded to the local visitors center. We experienced our first non-western toilet here, so we took pictures. One of the things we discussed at length today is the role reversal we are experiencing on this trip. In America, we are the majority, not the minority. People always make fun of Asian tourists because they take lots of pictures of what we feel are the oddest things. Now the roles are reversed. We took pictures of a toilet folks and found it incredibly interesting in function and form. Our everyday expectations of society have been altered. Japan is known as The Quiet Society. They take less personal and physical space everywhere they go. Americans spread out and take lots of room. They are quiet in voice. Americans are much louder. The Japanese try to live lightly in the world. America is built as a consumer society. Case in point, there are almost no public trash cans in Japan. In America, they are in every corner of a public space. Yet, this country is EXTREMELY clean. Not a cigarette butt, candy wrapper or soda can to be found. Public spaces are swept daily often times by hand. People carry their trash with them and dispose of it at home. Recycling bins sort everything in public spaces from the plastic cup lid to the hamburger wrapper. As a culture, the Japanese do not eat and walk - ever. Food is taking only sitting. It is simply amazing.
Moving on, we went to a Shinkyo Bridge. This was used to get people over the river and to the temple and shrine. Is this not what you think of when you think of Japan. Beautiful! The river is run-off from the mountains and is crystal clear. We next went to the Rinnoji Taiyuin Temple.
This is an HUGE complex of buildings. We saw three golden Budda in different stages. I also got a Temple Book. This is an accordion fold book that is taken temple to temple and you can take it to a monk and have their temple signature placed in your book as a record of your visit. He even put my name in Japanese on the cover! Score!Another unexpected surprise was that we happened to visit the temple at the time of a Buddhist wedding. It was really interesting. Take a look at the bride dressed in white.
The entire family processed into the space and met the priest, then music played and the wedding began.After the temple, we stopped at a gift shop where several people made purchases. One of our party who shall remain nameless, decided to buy a wooded pagoda to show in her classroom. She THOUGHT she was paying $27 for said pagoda, BUT when she came to proudly show us her purchase, we told her she had just spent $270 on the pagoda. We quickly found out that Japan does have a return policy.
Next we got on a bus and went to Kegon Falls about 50 minutes outside Nikko proper. This is the largest waterfall in Japan and flows from Lake Chuzenji. It was beautiful as you can see. It was while we where at the falls that we found ICE CREAM! Remember, we move from one food event to another. The lake was just down the road and we saw these funny swan boats out on the lake. Check out the mountains in the background. This lake is formed from a inactive volcano and is 900 feet deep and very cold. No swimming for me.Back on the bus, we made hairpin curves by the dozen to get back down to Nikko. Talk about vertical driving. These drivers do not slow down at all and make these curves very quickly. At the bottom, there was a little more shopping and best of all ----- DINNER! We shopped in Japanese g
rocery and got bento boxes for the trip home. These are box lunches with chopsticks. We had the best time buying food we could not identify. I had a bento box and sushi, some kind of pastry fill with a light yam cream , Pocky (chocolate cover breadsticks) and chilled green tea that is nothing like we have in America. Here I am with my bento box waiting for the Limited Express. Two and a half hours later, we were back to our hotel. I had to pack all my shopping up in a bag to be left at the Prince Akasaka as we move hotel tomorrow in preparation for our university visit on Monday. All the bags have to be packed and loaded up as this show goes on the road. Next stop Itabashi-ku!Hope all is well in Texas. Keep reading as I enter week two.
Timsan
posted by Tim Lowke at 4:46 AM
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