Everywhere You Go, Always Take The Weather With You

It seems that the bad weather followed me from the UK to Japan. At home we call it a typical Monday, in Japan it's called a typhoon. After Fuji, I decided to head over to Asakusa and see if I could find somewhere cheap to stay. I still wasn't sure where to head after that. I didn't know how bad the weather was going to get. My indecisiveness cost me most of Friday morning. In the end, I decided a wet couple of days in Nikko would be far more entertaining than staying indoors. It only rained off and on whilst I was on the train to Nikko so I was optimistic things would be ok. When I arrived, I did what I always do when visiting a part of Japan I wasn't sure of and headed straight to Tourist Information. However, unlike Shinjuku, Ueno and Asakusa, the staff there didn't really understand what I wanted. I didn't arrive there until late afternoon so I didn't know whether to head to the hotel straight away or try and hit some of the tourist sites and then take my time the next day. I decided securing a hotel was more important and headed there. Thankfully there was a pick-up service but I soon realised that the hotel I booked at Nikko station was in the middle of nowhere so I was stuck there for the rest of the day. As soon as I got inside it poured with rain. Instead of looking on the brightside I spent the rest of the day moping in my room which I later regretted as there was free internet in reception and the staff were lovely. If I'd gotten up off my bum and was a bit more social I might have had a pleasant evening! Lesson learned.

The next day I went into the dining room for breakfast. I was absolutely starving for once. I paid for breakfast. The menu showed one lonely piece of toast and a cup of tea but at that point I would have happily chewed on the side of a cushion. I asked how many slices I could have and was told I could have as many as I liked. Jackpot. Yes, I got excited about jam on toast.

It was still raining outside but I didn't care. I wasn't really sure how I would navigate myself around Nikko or how easy/difficult it would be. Online accounts of Japan are an abyss of bollocks. Pardon my language, but it's annoyingly true. I have found that people tend to exaggerate and opinions vary so the only way to truly find out something is to do it myself. Lonely Planet too is hit and miss but we shall get to that later.

Nikko was so easy to get around in by foot. I got a bus to the first temple and then walked round in a big circle. Simple. Although signs like this did help:

If only it was this easy everywhere else!

The weather in Nikko was fine in the end. There was heavy rain here and there which meant I couldn't take as many photos as I'd like. The rain kept hitting my camera lens which was annoying. Here are some highlights from my day.

It's only a bit of rain...

Goju-no-to. Five story pagoda

Water on the lens :(

Three symbols of Tendai Buddhism.This was the second in a series 

of carvings. I tried to get a photo of each one but I was surrounded by

tourists so gave up.

These are present at a lot of the temples and

shrines. You bathe your hands and some drink the water

before prayer.

Shapes and patterns

Torii

I made a new friend in Nikko

I got an omikuji. It's a piece of paper

with a Japanese fortune on. I didn't

get good luck so I tied it to the stand so

the wind can blow away the bad fortune.

 

 Shinkyo Sacred Bridge

 Roomy phone booth

The only downfall of visiting Nikko alone is that I had no idea what I was looking at or much about the history. There were guides within each section that gave talks but, obviously, they were in Japanese so I had no idea what was being said. The only signs in English were no smoking or no photography. Despite the rain, Nikko's beauty shone through. I am really happy I went. I could have easily have done Nikko in one day without staying over. I'm just glad I didn't let the rain scare me away. The Japanese seemed more concerned about it than I did.

The other disappointment is that I couldn't find an okonomiyaki restaurant that was listed in my Lonely Planet. The directions were rubbish and I gave up after half an hour. When I arrived back in Asakusa I saw this. It put a smile back on my face:

This is meant to be a flame, oops.

I dumped my stuff at the hostel and needed something to eat and fast. I was craving a burger so asked the staff if they know of somewhere good to eat at. I was given a map with places dotted all over. I spotted an okonomiyaki restaurant straight away. So off I went...in the wrong direction. For some reason, whenever I get lost it's always because I turn right instead of left. I feel like flipping Derek Zoolander! I asked for directions and a nice bunch of locals walked me to the restaurant. I was greeted by a waiter who could speak a little English and my adventure began... 

I had a table and hotplate to myself. I decided to

order the works. A pancake with everything in it.

The waiter kindly mixed up the "stuff" and placed it on the hotplate.

Normally the customer would do this but as I'm clueless they helped me out.

I couldn't eat it all. Okonomiyaki is definitely a sharing dish and is better for groups and couples but it was still good fun.

 For dessert I had a massive slush puppy thing!

Senso-Ji: Walking home I saw Asakusa by night.

Overall, it was a rather good day. Even though there was heavy rain, I still got to see all the parts of Nikko I wanted to and never felt rushed. I got back to Asakusa in good time too. The next day I went to Kamakura which happened to be the best day of my trip so far and not just because I got a bit of a tan! I've decided to spend an extra few days in Tokyo because it is so awesome and skip Matsumoto, Kamikochi and Takayama. It would involve a lot of heavy lifting and finding somewhere to stay in unfamiliar surroundings is a pain and too much hassle given that I'd only be in each place for one night. It's also better to be based in one place for longer for social reasons too! 

I'm going to get an overnight bus to Kyoto on Thursday if I can get one booked. I'll spend about a week in Kyoto then go to Nara and Osaka. I'll then have my temple stay and head over to Hiroshima. I'd like to go to Miyajima and Matsuyama and then get the shinkansen back to Tokyo for a few days before I head to Thailand. I do hope I get to see Nadia and my hiking buddies before I go back.

I can't believe it's been over a week already. I never know what day it is. I have the date on my watch so I have that at least. I'm so incredibly happy that I have done this and have to keep repeating in my head that this is not a dream. I'm sure I will repeat this over and over again but Japan is brilliant and even more so than I ever imagined. I wish I had done this sooner! It's going to be very hard to leave this country.