Things have been busy after we returned to Japan. M started a new job (his old one was a 6 month term) with a new, two hour commute. L continues her 1.5 hour commute (in the opposite direction) to take care of her satellite. So, it took a while, but we finally had a chance to get out and see some fun things.
We went on a day trip to Nikko, a town in the mountains about 2 hours from Tokyo that is known for its very ornate shrine and its natural beauty.
The Japanese aesthetic is typically very simple. One of my favorite parts about their art is their use of white space -- because sometimes empty space is more dramatic and says more than the most intricate and detailed designs. Well, Nikko shatters that idea. They went for ornate -- and by ornate, I mean totally over the top glitz. There are gilded carvings everywhere. No corner was complete without extra layers of beams and columns topped with a colorful carving (picture on right).
The site is also a major tourist attraction, and we happened to visit during Golden Week, which is one Japan's two longest vacations (with New Year's being the other). So with all these people, it was incredibly refreshing to stroll along the nearby peaceful river valley at sunset. It's amazing how just a few minutes walk away from the bustle of the main shrine, there is this great site with a river tumbling down smooth volcanic rocks as hundreds of Buddhist statues gaze down upon it.
This is sort of how it works in Japan -- there are certain places that you are supposed to see. Everyone goes to see those places, and Japanese are not afraid of crowds. For example, there was another temple immediately adjacent to Toshogu shrine that was almost equally ornate, but it was empty, quiet, and refreshingly peaceful. I know the same thing happens in the US, but it seems more pronounced here. The basic idea is that Americans idealize the "backroads" and undiscovered sites that they can have all to themselves, while Japanese culture idealizes sharing an important place with everyone else. Americans try to go in the offseason, while Japanese seem unafraid, or even happy to go at the absolute peak of the crowds.
See all our photos from the outing by clicking here.