冬のソナタ東京 #8 | Winter Sonata Tokyo

I was pretty excited about this day -- one of my buddies took the day off work and offered to take me to Nikko. I was told via text message to meet at Kita Senju station by 8.10am. Normally, this would not be a problem, but in Bangkok, 8.10am equals 6.10am. o_O

We took the Tobu-express train to Nikko. This says "express", but the ride is about 2.5 hours and via a local train -- meaning, the seats faced each other and did not recline. Despite that, we enjoyed the nice views from the windows:

It was my first time to enter Tochigi prefecture, so when our train stopped at that station, I got a quick photo:

I think my blog readers know I love traveling by train. As I mentioned earlier, the reasons are:
- slow travel is relaxing
- it's a great way to see the country
- you can enjoy chatting with friends ^_^

Put cutenekko on any train = super sparkling happy  ^_^

Upon arrival at Nikko station, I got a photo!

Do I look cold? I was... @_@

We walked from the station to Nikko, which is a World Heritage site comprising of a series of temples and shrines. I got a photo at a beautiful red bridge before entering the park:

My friend knows I am a huge 世界遺産 [World Heritage] hunter, so I got a photo at the sign:

Sleepy....@_@

My mother wondered what kind of park this was, so I took a photo of the first series of shrines:

I saw many beautiful things here!
The famous 3 monkeys -- Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil:

A gorgeous pagoda...

...and a happy cutenekko!

A decorative lantern...

A huge candelabra...

The details of the wood carvings were incredible! I got a photo for my readers...

Here is the main gate to the upper shrine area... the golden color is really lovely:

In this area, there is a famous carving of a "sleepy cat"...I had to take a photo:

We hiked further up the mountain to visit the grave site of Japan's most famous leader: Tokugawa. The area is surrounded by huge trees...I honestly felt I was back in Canada. My friend and I also prayed at a tree here that is said to grant your wish. What did I pray for? Continued happiness, of course! ^_^

Tokugawa's grave: 

It was getting late, so we walked back to the station to catch the train. Before boarding, we picked up some 駅弁[eki - ben = train station lunch box]. I selected, yuba [ゆば], a kind of tofu, with sushi vinegar rice. 

My box outside...

...and inside! 

We chatted the entire train ride back about many things -- our love of 100 yen shops, our investments, our sports and hobbies (we're both into scuba diving and skiing). I mentioned that life doesn't get any better than eating a lunch box and riding the train. Honestly, I couldn't have been happier. The resulting 2.5 hours passed by very quickly. 


Later that night, I met my Canadian friend and his Thai girlfriend for a late dinner. As this post is quite long already, I'll save that for tomorrow. 


Nikko is located in Tochigi prefecture. From Tokyo, about 2.5 hours by train. The ticket one way cost ¥1,350. Information can be found HERE and HERE. There are numerous festivals held here, including a very famous one, in which men on horses try to shoot an arrow at a target. See the website HERE. (日本語 only) You can also enjoy 温泉 [on-sen = hot springs] and hiking in Nikko. I will be sure to visit again! ^_^