Nikko 14.07

Kui eelmisel õhtul rongiaegu üle kontrollisin avastasin, et Shinjukust Tokyo jaama millegipärast Yamanote (JR) liiniga ei saa, kuigi see jääb täpselt sellele marsruudile. Hommikul jäi info samaks ja seega suundusime uuesti Ueno jaama, kus meid ootas esimene sõit shinkanseni ehk kiirroniga. JR (Japan Railway Pass) pilet võimaldab eelnevalt kohad broneerida, mis oli omakorda ooper. 

Nendes kohtades, mida külastasime, on hea ühistranspordivõrgustik nii katvuselt kui tiheduselt. Piletite ostmine, neile raha laadimine ja shinkansenile istekohtade broneerimine käib läbi jaamades olevate masinate. Suica ostmine ja sellele raha juurde laadimine - titemäng. Ühest prefektruurist teise istekohtade broneerimine ajas nutma. Sama prefektuuri piires ei ole mingit probleemi aga kui sihtkoht oli teises, siis mina lihtsalt ei osanud. Jah, mõnes kohas on ka mehitatud JR piletimüüjad aga nende tööajad on nõnna lühikesed ja järjekorrad nõnna pikad. Kokkuvõttes ei jäänudki meil muud üle, kui järjekorras seista ja paluda inimesel kohti broneerida. 

Tokyost (kiir)rongiga (JR) otse Nikkosse ei saa, selleks tuleb teha ümberistumine Utsunomiya jaamas. Shinjuku → Ueno → Utsunomiya kulges probleemideta. Jälgisin rongiaknast loodust ja ega see 40 minutit sõitu midagi erilist ei olegi. Ohh, vagunisaatjad olid jälle üliviisakad. Shinkansenis olles kontrollisin Nikko liini aega ja avastasin, et samal hommikult 9:25 oli inimene suutnud rongi alla jääda ning see liin on vähemalt 10:40ni suletud aga 10:31 pidi rong meid edasi viima. Nagu. Mida?😮 Kontrollisin bussiaegu aga need ei sobinud kuidagi. Uurisin juba, mida Utsunomiyas teha ja tegin peas plaane ümber aga ei tahtnud Nikkost ilma jääda. Seega lootsin, et äkki ikka õnnestub. 

Nikko liini (JR) oodates loodeti liiklus taastada kõigepealt 10:40s, siis 11ks, aga lõpuks 11:22 rong oli jõus ja jõudsime ennast rongile mahutada. Ilma trügimata, ilusti järjekorras liikudes. Veel 40 minutit või nii ja olimegi Nikkos. Väike selgitamine, kummale bussile minna (sest oli vaja eristada näiteks liine 光徳温泉 ja 世界遺産めぐりaga kiirel vaatlusel tekkis korraks segadus) aga kokkuvõttes kulges kõik õnnelikult ning jõudsime Nikko Unesco maailmapärandisse kuuluvasse Nikko Toshogu pühamukompleksi. Kui on aega, siis võib selle tee kindlasti jalutada (nagu me tagasi tulles tegime). 

Nikko asub Tokyost ainult ca 160 km põhjapoole aga ilm oli märgatavalt jahedam. See oli reisi jooksul ainuke päev, kui sadas. Küll vaevumärgatavat uduvihma aga siiski. 

Toshogu kompleks on selle poolest huvitav, et seal on segu šintosimist ja budismist. On nii Nikko Toshogu ja Futarasan pühamud (šinto) kui Rinno-ji tempel (budism). Kompleks koosneb päris mitmest hoonest ja kõigiks meil kahjuks aega ei olnud. Nikkos võiks olla kindlasti kauem aga saime ikkagi piisavalt ringi jalutada. Eriti meeldis mulle samblaroheline ümbrus.  

Kui Nikko jaamast bussiga minna, tasuks kindlasti Shinkyo peatuses (6s) maha minna, mitte kompleksi kohale sõita. Sissepääsu mägedesse tähistab Futarasan pühamule kuuluv 28-meetrine Shinkyo sild, mis moodustus legendi järgi kahest maost, kes Nikko esimese peapreestri Shodo Shonini palvel jõe ülepääsu moodustasid. 

Väike jalutuskäik läbi puudesalu viis meid kõigepealt Rinno-ji templisse, mis on koos Nikko Toshogu ja Furarasan pühamutega UNESCO maailmapärandi kaitse all. Oi, kuidas oleks päikest soovinud aga positiivne oli see, et turistide uputuse all ei kannatanud. Rinno-jis (sissepääs 400 jeeni) asuvas Sanbutsudo saalis asuvad kolm 8 meetri kõrgust kullatud budistlikku jumaluse kuju.

Nikko Tohsogu pühamu (sissepääs 1300 jeeni) juurde kuuluvad näiteks

• Torii värav (sest šintoism). 
• 
  Viiekorruseline pagood ülespoole kaarduvate katustega, millest iga tähistab erinevat budistliku mõtet (maa, vesi, tuli, tuul ja eeter). Pagoode nägime Jaapanis olles enamiku pühamute juures. Kui andmed on õiged, siis pärineb praegune pagood 1818. aastast. 
  
• Pühamu talli seinale jäävad kolm tarka ahvi, kes "ei kuule, ei räägi, ei näe kurja." Kolm tarka ahvi sümboliseerivad suhtumist negatiivsesse. Kui ei tea, kuhu vaadata, võivad nad märkamata jääda. 
• Võimas 11 meetri kõrgune Yomeimon värav, ehk sissepääs Toshogu pühamusse. Värav on täis keerulisi nikerdusi ja kujukesi. Jälle kahju päikese puudumise üle.
• 17. sajandist pärit Nikko Toshogu pühamu. Pühamusse sisenedes (kui sinna üldse lubatakse) tuleb jalanõud ära võtta. Siis me seda veel ei teadnud, pärast olid sokid kaasas. 
• Sisemise pühamu juurde viiva värava ornament Nemuri-neko ehk magav kass, kes võib märkamata jääda. Magav kass sümboliseerib tervendamise Buddhat.
• Ja veel mitu pühamut. Ja nikerdatud laternaid, müüre, hooneid.

Müüri detailid

Kolm tarka ahvi

Yomeimon värav

Oi, kuidas mulle meeldis smaragdne sammal kujude ja puude pinnal.

Olin eelnevalt kuidagi valesti toidukohti vaadanud ja loomulikult pühamu kompleksis neid ei olnud. Seega tuli väga hiline lõuna alles Nikko keskuse poole tagasi liikudes. Särisev pannilõhe Myogetsubo Grill&Steak'is. Harjumusest võtsin jälle Cola aga seekord oli tegemist mingi meditsiinilise koolaga. Põnev.

Kuna söömas olles selgus, et ei jõua rongile, mis viiks meid broneeritud piletitega shinkansenile, tulime tagasi jalgsi. Leidsime vanaaegse telefoniputka ning kure origami kujud. Aga siis vaatasin uuesti rongiplaani, tegime poolsada meetrit natuke kiiremaid samme, hüppasime rongi ja see hakkas praktiliselt kohe liikuma. Seega jõudsime planeeritud rongile ja edasi kiirrongile.

Õhtusöögiks minul fish & chips, mis koosnes kõige tillukesematest fishidest, mida ma kunagi näinud olen. Millegipärast on kellegagi koos süües selline tunne, et see mida mina valin satub olema vähem parem😁 Ei olnud halb tegelikult. Magustoiduks käisime sõõrikuid söömas.

Nikko soovitan Jaapanis kindlasti plaani võtta.

When I went over the train schedule the previous night, I discovered that for some reason, it was impossible to get from Shinjuku to Tokyo station with the Yamanote (JR) line, even though it is on this route. In the morning, the information remained the same, so we headed to Ueno station once again. From there, we took our first ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train). The JR (Japan Railway) Pass allows you to reserve seats, which didn't turn out to be as easy as I thought. 

The places we visited have a good public transport network, both in terms of coverage and frequency. You can buy both JR and metro tickets, top up IC cards, and reserve seats on the Shinkansen via numerous stations. Buying a Suica and topping it up - easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Booking seats from one prefecture to another almost made me cry. There was no problem booking tickets within the same prefecture, but if the destination was in another, I just couldn't do it. Yes, there are also manned JR booths in some stations, but their working hours are so short and the queues so long. Eventually, I had no choice but to stand in a queue and ask the person to reserve our seats.

You can't go from Tokyo directly to Nikko by (bullet)train, you have to change at Utsunomiya station. Shinjuku → Ueno → Utsunomiya went smoothly. I gazed at nature (bamboo trees) from the train window and the 40-minute ride flew by in a breeze. Ohh, the carriage attendants were super polite again. While on the Shinkansen, I checked the time of the Nikko line and discovered that a person had managed to get hit by a train at 9:25 that morning, and that line was closed until at least 10:40, our train was supposed to leave at 10:31. Like. Seriously?😮 I checked the bus times, but they didn't fit at all. I already researched what to do in Utsunomiya and changed my plans in my head, but I didn't want to miss Nikko. So I hoped that maybe everything would still work.

While waiting for the Nikko line, train traffic was expected to be restored by 10:40, then by 11, but finally, at 11:22 the train approached and we managed to squeeze into the car. Without pushing, moving nicely in a queue, like the Japanese. Another 40 minutes or so and we were finally in Nikko. I had a brief dilemma on which bus to take (because I had to distinguish between the lines 光徳温泉 and 世界遺産めぐりand that caused slight confusion) but in the end, everything went brilliantly and we arrived at the Toshogu shrine complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nikko. If you have time, I recommend walking the 1.7 kilometres (as we did on our way back).

Nikko is only about 160 km north of Tokyo, but the weather was noticeably cooler. Moreover, it was the only day of the trip when it actually rained. A barely noticeable drizzle, but still no sun.

The Nikko Toshogu complex combines Shintoism and Buddhism. There are both Nikko Toshogu and Futarasan shrines (Shintoism) and Rinno-ji temple (Buddhism). The complex consists of numerous shrines but unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit all of them. I wish we had had more time in Nikko, but we were still able to see some of it. I especially liked the moss-green surroundings. 

Rinno-ji Temple

If you take a bus from Nikko station, it is definitely worth getting off at the Shinkyo stop (6th) and not going straight to the complex. The entrance to the mountains is marked by the 28-meter Shinkyo Bridge, which, according to legend, was formed by two snakes that formed a river crossing at the request of Nikko's founder, Shodo Shonin. 

A short walk took us first to Rinno-ji Temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Nikko Toshogu and Furarasan Shrines. Oh, how I would have preferred the sun, but the positive thing was that we didn't suffer from the flood of tourists. The Sanbutsudo Hall in Rinno-ji (admission 400 yen) houses three 8-meter-tall gilded Buddhist deities. 

Nikko Tohsogu Shrine (entrance 1300 yen) includes, for example: 

• Torii gate (Shintoism).
• A five-storey pagoda with upward-curving roofs, each representing a different Buddhist thought (earth, water, fire, wind, and ether). We saw pagodas at most shrines we visited while in Japan. If my information is correct, the current pagoda dates back to 1818.
• On the shrine's stable wall there are three wise monkeys, representing a Japanese maxim "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." If you don't know where to look, you might not notice them.
• The powerful 11-meter-high Yomeimon Gate, the entrance to Toshogu Shrine. The gate is filled with intricate carvings and figurines. Again, I was so sorry about the overcast sky. 
• Nikko Toshogu Shrine was built in the 17th century. When entering the sanctuary (if you are allowed there at all), you must take your shoes off. We weren't aware of that yet, but after that, we carried socks with us every day. 
• On the gate leading to the inner shrine you can find Nemuri-neko, or a wooden sleeping cat, which can go unnoticed. Nemuri-Neko symbolises the Buddha of healing.
• And several other shrines. And moss-covered and intricately carved lanterns, walls, and what-not.

Three Wise Monkeys

The Sleeping Cat

Toshogu shrine

Oh, how I loved the shining emerald moss on the statues and trees.

For some reason, I had not noticed that there were INside the shrine complex. So we had a very late lunch at Myogetsubo Grill&Steak - sizzling pan-seared salmon. Out of habit, I took Cola, but this time it was some medical cola. Fascinating. 

When I went over the train schedule while we were waiting for our food, I noticed that we would not make it to the train that would take us to the Sinkansen with reserved tickets. As we were already late, we came back on foot. We found an old-fashioned phone booth and crane origami figures. But then I looked at the train schedule again and calculated that if we increased our pace considerably we might perhaps still catch our train. So we picked up the pace, jumped on the train and it started moving almost immediately after, which meant we were able to catch the bullet train after all. 

For dinner, I had fish & chips, which consisted of the tiniest fishies I have ever seen. For some reason, when eating out with someone, I get the feeling that whatever I choose, the other person manages to make a slightly better choice😁 The fishies weren't bad. They were just tiny. For dessert, we had doughnuts at a bakery. 

When in Japan, Nikko is definitely a place worth visiting.