| Links to websites about Nikko, Japan: |
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| Dove girl in Nikko. |
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| A rainy day at the Toshogu Shrines in Nikko. |
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| Another rainy day picture from Nikko, Toshogu Shrines. |
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| Festival of the 1000 Samurai March at Toshogu Shrine. I was able to sit in the announcer's stand because my wife's grandfather is an important person in town. Everyone must have been wondering what that Gaijin was doing up there. |
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| The Gojunoto is an 1818 reconstruction of the original five-storied pagoda, which was erected in 1650, but which was lost in a fire in 1815. In order to make the tower stable enough to resist wind and earthquake forces, the center pillar is suspended on the fourth story and held 10 cm above the ground -- not resting on a foundation stone -- thereby functioning as a dynamic counterweight which maintains the center of gravity. |
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| It rains alot in Japan at certain times of the year. But that makes it so green which I love. |
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| Mt. Nantai, Lake Chuzenji, Nikko National Park. This lake is located about an hour drive in to the mountains from the main town of Nikko. It is up one of the craziest and windiest roads I have ever been on. It is definitely a must see. Below is more information on this area: Generally speaking, central Nikko is recognized as Nikko while area of Lake Chuzenji, around Mt. Nantai and Yumoto are called Oku-Nikko (Inner Nikko), but some people call it just Yumoto area. Border between Nikko and Oku-Nikko is Byoubuiwa rocky screen on the Irohazaka winding road. There are some stories regarding name of Futara. Mt. Nantai is also called Mt. Futara, and the name of Futara is derived from Potalaka in Sanskrit. Also, Futara can be divided into two Japanese words. One is futa, which means two in Japanese, and another word is ara, which means storm. The meaning of combination of those two words are two storms. According to a legend, god of wind and god of thunder appear at Byoubuiwa rocky screen and bring the two storms a year. Moreover, Futara can be pronounced Nikoh in another way of reading. You can imagine that the Nikoh became Nikko later. Landscape of Oku-Nikko has been created dramatically by natural environment like an eruption. Lake, waterfall, grassy plain and marshland are gathered like a miniature garden. Nature has been remained its natural appearance since Oku-Nikko was designated as a National Park in 1934. History of Oku-Nikko began when Priest Shoto succeeded to climb the Mt. Nantai in Nara-Heian period. Nikko developed as a training area for ascetics until Edo period, and developed as a resort area from Meiji era. Weather of Oku-Nikko is relatively cold, but it is comfortable to spend the summer. Plants change their appearances in every season. You should bring chain for your tires when you come to Nikko by the car from December to March. Snow will not be heavy, but surface of the road will possibly be frozen. |
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| Another picture from the 1000 Samurai parade. |
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| I love this picture. Girls in Kimono for a traditional festival but playing with their cell phones. Classic Japan. |
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| Nikko Tourist Association Shrines and Temples of Nikko Tochigi Prefecture Website Hotel Hind and Stag, Nikko (Japanese) - My wife's family own this hotel. They do not speak english but this is a nice little inn located in Nikko. They make the best homemade soba. |
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| Nikko is not listed on this map but it is west of Otawara and Utsunomiya about 45 minutes to an hour by car in the mountains. |
| Welcome to my Nikko, Tochigi, Japan page. Here you will find amazing pictures of beautiful Nikko. Nikko is the home to the famous Toshogu shrine complex which is a World Heritage site. |
| The Shinkyo, or the sacred bridge, is known to have existed already on the present site spanning the Daiya River in the Muromachi Period (according to remaining archival records) though the exact date of its construction is not clear. It was in 1636 that this bridge took on its present style as a vermilion-lacquered wooden bridge on massive stone piers piled down close to the riverbanks. Though demolished in a flash flood in 1902, it was reconstructed and restored to its 17th -century condition in 1904. |
| The Yomeimon, probably the most famous work of architecture in Nikko, was erected in 1636 and has been maintained through repeated roofing repair and painting repair to keep it in a condition equal to that at the time of original construction, including its decorative sculpture and other decorative members. It is the most elegantly decorated among the shrine buildings of Toshogu. The great extent of decorative effort peculiar to this particular construction can be seen in the fact that even the structural members are decorated with patterns and sometimes ornamented with sculptures on the surface. Admirable workmanship is recognizable in the decorative expressions produced through a combination of painting, coloring and metal fittings carefully selected in consideration of the subjects or motifs to be expressed in them and the durability of the materials. |
| The Ishidorii has remained in its original form since its construction in 1618. The torii gate, which is 9.2 m tall and 13.2 m wide, is made out of 15 blocks of stone, instead of wood, which is the material usually used for torii. The Ishidorii has a unique structure well designed to resist earthquakes; the primary top rail and the secondary top rail, called Kasagi and Shimaki, are hollowed in order to minimize the weight and a pair of grafted stone columns are set firmly to support them. |
| The ishidorii |
| The Okusha Hoto was originally a wooden building when first constructed in 1622, but was remodeled into a stone structure in 1641. The bronze pagoda, which we see now, is a 1683 reconstruction, built after an earthquake destroyed the stone building. In order to keep dry the remains of Tokugawa Ieyasu, enshrined underground beneath the pagoda, the stone bedded floor is sloped to drain outward and the joints of the stone blocks constituting the stepped foundation are sealed with lead to block the penetration of rainwater. |
| The Karadou-torii has been made of bronze, and it is 6m high. The Karadou-torii was the first bronze Torii in Japan. The third successive shogun Iemitsu spent 200,000,000 yen in today's currency. Lotus flower is carved on the foot of the pillars. It is strange that lotus is seen in the shrine because that flower is related to Buddhism. |
| Kamishinmichi, where stone lanterns are located in a line. |
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| Nikko was registered as a World Heritage site at the 23rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held at Marakesh in Morocco in December 1999. The Shrines and Temples of Nikko consist of Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple and Futarasan Shrine, and were designated as the 10th World Heritage Site in Japan. |