Zkribbler
Deity
I beleve that was about the time the Colonel sold out to KFC, which downgraded the menu. The Colonel is still furious.
[RD] Exploring Japan
- Thread starter warpus
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- exploration food japan travel
I beleve that was about the time the Colonel sold out to KFC, which downgraded the menu. The Colonel is still furious.
warpus
In pork I trust
The Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site
This site in Nikkō includes over 100 buildings and is spread out over a somewhat hilly semi-forested area.. It's made up of two Shinto shrines and a Buddhist temple and is situated about 2km from the train station.
The funny thing is that there are actually two train stations here. They are basically right beside each other. One station is owned by JR (Japan Rail Group), a consortium of 7 companies which operate former government rail assets.. and the other station is some other company. Each station has its own line running out of town, they run pretty much parallel to each other for a while and then run off in different directions and join different rail systems further east. My JR pass only worked with JR lines and JR-affiliated lines - If I wanted to ride another company's line I had to pay the full fare... but this wasn't really a problem, as the country is very well connected by rail.
From the train station in Nikkō it is about a 25 minute walk down a cute little commercial street with shops and restaurants on both sides.. until you run into the bridge from my last post, which is where you cross into the UNESCO World Heritage Site. That's where I spent my whole time during my stay in town, until it was time to catch a train home.
The first building I ran into is the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Okariden. Nikkō Tōshō-gū refers to the Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Okariden is a building that was put up for the deities to hang out in while the main temple was being renovated in the 1600s.
Next I walked over to the main set of buildings of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū shrine
Near the entrance stands a beautiful stone torii gate (although in the below shot I am facing towards the exit)
This site in Nikkō includes over 100 buildings and is spread out over a somewhat hilly semi-forested area.. It's made up of two Shinto shrines and a Buddhist temple and is situated about 2km from the train station.
The funny thing is that there are actually two train stations here. They are basically right beside each other. One station is owned by JR (Japan Rail Group), a consortium of 7 companies which operate former government rail assets.. and the other station is some other company. Each station has its own line running out of town, they run pretty much parallel to each other for a while and then run off in different directions and join different rail systems further east. My JR pass only worked with JR lines and JR-affiliated lines - If I wanted to ride another company's line I had to pay the full fare... but this wasn't really a problem, as the country is very well connected by rail.
From the train station in Nikkō it is about a 25 minute walk down a cute little commercial street with shops and restaurants on both sides.. until you run into the bridge from my last post, which is where you cross into the UNESCO World Heritage Site. That's where I spent my whole time during my stay in town, until it was time to catch a train home.
The first building I ran into is the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Okariden. Nikkō Tōshō-gū refers to the Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Okariden is a building that was put up for the deities to hang out in while the main temple was being renovated in the 1600s.
Next I walked over to the main set of buildings of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū shrine
Near the entrance stands a beautiful stone torii gate (although in the below shot I am facing towards the exit)
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warpus
In pork I trust
Nikkō Tōshō-gū
This shrine complex is made up of 42 structures. Here again is a shot of one of them, the five story pagoda
The following building is a Kamijinko, a sort of sacred storehouse.
This shrine complex is made up of 42 structures. Here again is a shot of one of them, the five story pagoda
The following building is a Kamijinko, a sort of sacred storehouse.
warpus
In pork I trust
Yeah, they make a bit of an impact as you get closer and walk through them, which I guess is the desired effect.. I think the last one posted is made of copper though
warpus
In pork I trust
Nikkō Tōshō-gū (continued)
The main temple was really busy.. I don't think I went inside
One of the main attractions here is an urn containing the ramains of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. On the way there you pass various things, including a live Kabuki performance. Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance drama and is known for the elaborate costumes and makeup of the performers.
In order to reach the urn, you take stairs taking you up a bit of a hill. Then you wait in a line that slowly makes its way around the urn.
After you've walked all the way around the urn, you return back down to the main shrine complex
The main temple was really busy.. I don't think I went inside
One of the main attractions here is an urn containing the ramains of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. On the way there you pass various things, including a live Kabuki performance. Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance drama and is known for the elaborate costumes and makeup of the performers.
In order to reach the urn, you take stairs taking you up a bit of a hill. Then you wait in a line that slowly makes its way around the urn.
After you've walked all the way around the urn, you return back down to the main shrine complex
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warpus
In pork I trust
Next on my list was the Futarasan jinja shrine, located a short walk away
I found a map online that's probably worth posting. I did not visit all of these places, but a bunch of them have already been mentioned
At this stage I would have been walking between Toshogu Shrine and Futarasan Shrine at the top of the map
I found a map online that's probably worth posting. I did not visit all of these places, but a bunch of them have already been mentioned
At this stage I would have been walking between Toshogu Shrine and Futarasan Shrine at the top of the map
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JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Is it wrong that I read 'ninja' instead of 'jinja'?
Ferocitus
Deity
It's not as wrong as my idea that a jinja ninja must be from Scotland.
warpus
In pork I trust
Futarasan Jinja
This shrine was founded in 767 and takes its name from the nearby Mt. Nantai, which is also called Futarasan. Jinja is the word for Shinto shrine.
I believe stepping through that is supposed to give to give you good luck
One of the things I liked about this shrine is the location and the incredibly tall trees.
This shrine was founded in 767 and takes its name from the nearby Mt. Nantai, which is also called Futarasan. Jinja is the word for Shinto shrine.
I believe stepping through that is supposed to give to give you good luck
One of the things I liked about this shrine is the location and the incredibly tall trees.
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Bugfatty300
Buddha Squirrel
My old band was actually named Jinja Ninja for a while.
warpus
In pork I trust
Futarasan Jinja (continued)
These rocks are stacked like this for good luck, if I remember correctly. Passersby could write their own message on a rock and attempt to put it on the pile.. But if you dislodged any rocks and they fell on the ground, I believe that affected your future luck significantly.
Above you can see another activity meant to give you good luck. I tried my hand at it and I think I managed to get one on. Having said that, I have no photos of that accomplishment, so it could just be wishful thinking.
These rocks are stacked like this for good luck, if I remember correctly. Passersby could write their own message on a rock and attempt to put it on the pile.. But if you dislodged any rocks and they fell on the ground, I believe that affected your future luck significantly.
Above you can see another activity meant to give you good luck. I tried my hand at it and I think I managed to get one on. Having said that, I have no photos of that accomplishment, so it could just be wishful thinking.
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warpus
In pork I trust
Taiyuin-byo Temple
This temple has a variety of different names coming up online, so I'm going with the one that seems to be the most popular. It is one of two mausoleums in Nikkō and not nearly as popular as the first. There is a bit less to see here, so it makes sense it's not as popular.. but it's actually quite nice here! You walk down a walkway through an even more wooded area, with occasional stairs leading upwards. In contrast to the other mausoleum there was almost nobody here, making the walk a lot more serene and enjoyable.
The first mausoleum I visited is where the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate is buried. Taiyuin-byo is where where his grandson Iemitsu is buried.
As you make your way down this winding walkway, you pass through various gates and by various structures.
Above you can see the always closed Kokamon Gate to the tomb of Tokugawa Iemitsu.
It was very quiet and serene when I was walking through these temple grounds. Like I said there was almost nobody there, almost making everything feel a bit eerie.
This temple has a variety of different names coming up online, so I'm going with the one that seems to be the most popular. It is one of two mausoleums in Nikkō and not nearly as popular as the first. There is a bit less to see here, so it makes sense it's not as popular.. but it's actually quite nice here! You walk down a walkway through an even more wooded area, with occasional stairs leading upwards. In contrast to the other mausoleum there was almost nobody here, making the walk a lot more serene and enjoyable.
The first mausoleum I visited is where the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate is buried. Taiyuin-byo is where where his grandson Iemitsu is buried.
As you make your way down this winding walkway, you pass through various gates and by various structures.
Above you can see the always closed Kokamon Gate to the tomb of Tokugawa Iemitsu.
It was very quiet and serene when I was walking through these temple grounds. Like I said there was almost nobody there, almost making everything feel a bit eerie.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
I agree, it looks eerie with noone there.
warpus
In pork I trust
It's not a very long walk from the more popular mausoleum at all. From what I gathered via some quick research, most promotional material for Nikkō focuses on the more popular temples, including the other mausoleum. This one is at most a 10 minute walk away from the first one, but most tourists just avoid it I guess. Most people are there on a day trip from Tokyo, so maybe there is a common sent of itineraries that most visitors follow given the limited amount of hours and sunlight in a day. There's also buses that take you to some of these sites, but I completely ignored those and opted to walk. It's possible the buses run in a way that don't really give you a chance to see this temple, and a lot of older travellers probably opt to use the bus to get around.
warpus
In pork I trust
The above is the Rinnō-ji Treasure House. There is a museum inside, there's nice gardens on the premises, and a temple as well. Unfortunately I did not go inside, as they were closed or in the process of closing. The photo was taken from a bench I sat down on to rest a bit after all that walking exploring the other shrines and temples. This is one of those memories that has left an impression on me for some reason. I'm not sure why, but I remember it more clearly than anything else that happened this day. All that happened though was me sitting on this bench, resting, doing some research, and just looking around, then getting up and beginning the walk back to the train station.
warpus
In pork I trust
Bar De Nikkō & Omurice
The walk back to the train station takes you down a street lined with establishments designed to attract the attention of tourists, such as souvenir shops and restaurants. I googled some of the restaurants as I passed them and looked up reviews.
I had been using Yelp and google to ascertain potential restaurant quality.. And of course instinct, looking at the menu if it's posted, trying to peek inside, etc. The thing is that Yelp and google aren't actually the best way to do this in Japan.. There is an app that is more popular for restaurant reviews - Tabelog. I should have been using it, but for various reasons opted not to. The main reason really is that Tokyo is just so packed with restaurants, even Yelp and google have a lot of good information.. in a language and format I'm already familiar with. I found great restaurants right away in Tokyo, it was pretty easy. I did try Tabelog a bit later, but it just didn't stick.
For smaller towns like Nikkō that app would have probably come in handy. I did end up finding a good place to eat, but I remember it being a small hassle. A lot of restaurants just don't have many reviews at all. It's not reliable information. With only 8 reviews, you have no idea if those are friends of the business owners or not.. Since most Japanese people use Tabelog for this purpose, I should have been doing the same thing, but I do trust my culinary instincts.. and I do not mind to be thrown into a direction that isn't what everybody else is doing from time to time either
In this case I ended up finding Bar De Nikkō. And I didn't have a ton of time, but I did have enough time for a local brew.
For the first part of the meal I got some pork
For the main course I ordered this restaurant's take on omurice. Omurice is fried rice wrapped in an egg omlette. It's a fusion dish that combines Asian and western ingredients and originated in the early 1900s.
This all looks really fancy, but it wasn't really a splurge. I remember it costing as much as an average meal in a restaurant in Canada, including appetizer and drink. It was also delicious.
On my walk back to the train station I also walked into a sake store and picked up a souvenir to take back home. Nothing fancy there either, just a bottle of something recommended by the owner that was reasonably priced. For some reason I don't have a picture of it, but it might come up later
The walk back to the train station takes you down a street lined with establishments designed to attract the attention of tourists, such as souvenir shops and restaurants. I googled some of the restaurants as I passed them and looked up reviews.
I had been using Yelp and google to ascertain potential restaurant quality.. And of course instinct, looking at the menu if it's posted, trying to peek inside, etc. The thing is that Yelp and google aren't actually the best way to do this in Japan.. There is an app that is more popular for restaurant reviews - Tabelog. I should have been using it, but for various reasons opted not to. The main reason really is that Tokyo is just so packed with restaurants, even Yelp and google have a lot of good information.. in a language and format I'm already familiar with. I found great restaurants right away in Tokyo, it was pretty easy. I did try Tabelog a bit later, but it just didn't stick.
For smaller towns like Nikkō that app would have probably come in handy. I did end up finding a good place to eat, but I remember it being a small hassle. A lot of restaurants just don't have many reviews at all. It's not reliable information. With only 8 reviews, you have no idea if those are friends of the business owners or not.. Since most Japanese people use Tabelog for this purpose, I should have been doing the same thing, but I do trust my culinary instincts.. and I do not mind to be thrown into a direction that isn't what everybody else is doing from time to time either
In this case I ended up finding Bar De Nikkō. And I didn't have a ton of time, but I did have enough time for a local brew.
For the first part of the meal I got some pork
For the main course I ordered this restaurant's take on omurice. Omurice is fried rice wrapped in an egg omlette. It's a fusion dish that combines Asian and western ingredients and originated in the early 1900s.
This all looks really fancy, but it wasn't really a splurge. I remember it costing as much as an average meal in a restaurant in Canada, including appetizer and drink. It was also delicious.
On my walk back to the train station I also walked into a sake store and picked up a souvenir to take back home. Nothing fancy there either, just a bottle of something recommended by the owner that was reasonably priced. For some reason I don't have a picture of it, but it might come up later
warpus
In pork I trust
Day 21 - Fuji Five Lakes
These 5 lakes are a big tourist attraction and lie just north of Mt. Fuji, the country's tallest peak. It is possible to take a train here from Tokyo, which drops you off at Mt. Fuji station in Fujiyoshida
From Mt. Fuji station it is possible to jump on a variety of buses to explore the lakes and the area. I decided to make my way to the closest one, Lake Kawaguchi
The main reason people come here is to see Mt. Fuji.. Since it was cold, windy, and very cloudy, there were almost no tourists to be seen. I also failed in my mission to see Mt. Fuji on my trip.. but I can always come back to do that another day
Unfortunately for me that meant that my main options for entertainment were..
which I avoided..
I did spend a couple hours here, I walked around, ate lunch somewhere, visited a souvenir shop, and even saw this weird cat
It wasn't worth heading out to any of the other lakes.. and as you can see I made as good use of my time as I could..
In the end I failed in my mission to see Mt. Fuji and it was time to return to Tokyo to try to find some food and maybe something else to do
These 5 lakes are a big tourist attraction and lie just north of Mt. Fuji, the country's tallest peak. It is possible to take a train here from Tokyo, which drops you off at Mt. Fuji station in Fujiyoshida
From Mt. Fuji station it is possible to jump on a variety of buses to explore the lakes and the area. I decided to make my way to the closest one, Lake Kawaguchi
The main reason people come here is to see Mt. Fuji.. Since it was cold, windy, and very cloudy, there were almost no tourists to be seen. I also failed in my mission to see Mt. Fuji on my trip.. but I can always come back to do that another day
Unfortunately for me that meant that my main options for entertainment were..
which I avoided..
I did spend a couple hours here, I walked around, ate lunch somewhere, visited a souvenir shop, and even saw this weird cat
It wasn't worth heading out to any of the other lakes.. and as you can see I made as good use of my time as I could..
In the end I failed in my mission to see Mt. Fuji and it was time to return to Tokyo to try to find some food and maybe something else to do
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warpus
In pork I trust
American Restaurant
Back in Tokyo I eventually ended up at a shopping complex. By shopping complex I mean a structure with 10+ stories that is basically a large mall connected to other walkways in the city, above and below ground. These sorts of structures tend to have food options at the top and in this case did as well
This is where I decided to eat dinner this day. I got a beer, baked potato, and a meatloaf stuffed with cheese. My waiter was dressed like a cowboy and I was the only caucasian in the restaurant. It was a bit weird at first, but the meatloaf was very good
Back in Tokyo I eventually ended up at a shopping complex. By shopping complex I mean a structure with 10+ stories that is basically a large mall connected to other walkways in the city, above and below ground. These sorts of structures tend to have food options at the top and in this case did as well
This is where I decided to eat dinner this day. I got a beer, baked potato, and a meatloaf stuffed with cheese. My waiter was dressed like a cowboy and I was the only caucasian in the restaurant. It was a bit weird at first, but the meatloaf was very good
dusters
Emperor
Day 21 - Fuji Five Lakes
I did spend a couple hours here, I walked around, ate lunch somewhere, visited a souvenir shop, and even saw this weird cat
It wasn't worth heading out to any of the other lakes.. and as you can see I made as good use of my time as I could..
In the end I failed in my mission to see Mt. Fuji and it was time to return to Tokyo to try to find some food and maybe something else to do
can you tell us more about the cat?
