Lakeside Ryokan in NIKKO, JAPAN // JP17 ep.4
Hey guys! Welcome to another vlog from Japan. This time we're heading up to Nikko in Tochigi prefecture. 2 hours north-west of Tokyo and surrounded by mountains, Nikko is an up and coming city for Japanese tourism that's seen significant development since I was last there in 2009! We visited the beautiful Lake Chu-zenji, or Chu-zenji-ko in Japanese, and spent the night at a beautiful ryokan (traditional style hotel) with an onsen (hot spring)! Close to the lake is the magnificent Kegon Falls, but there's other onsen towns in the Nikko area as well as many other attractions like the beautiful shrines and temples of Toushogu and Rinnouji, which has a huge golden Buddha statue, dating back to the BC years(!) plus the Shinkyo (God Bridge). There's also the Tobu company's World Square, a park containing minature sculptures of Japan and the world's most famous landmarks, and nearby is also Edo Wonderland, a theme park which aims to re-create a Japanese village from the Edo Period with various performances and activities like a Geisha theatre, archery, samurai battles, traditional street food and shuriken (ninja star) throwing!
Nikko is well worth a visit, and the secret is getting out! The Nikko All Area Pass is good for 4 consecutive days. It will get you there and back from Tokyo's Tobu Asakusa station as well as unlimited rides all around Nikko on the Tobu buses, plus discounted entry into some attractions! - Don't forget to budget an extra few thousand yen per person to get those seats on the Limited Express trains and entry into the shrines, temples and anywhere else you might want to visit!
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Information on the Nikko All Area Pass:
Hotel Shikisai (where we stayed):
Music used (in order of appearance):
Kirinji - Natsu no Hikari
Negoto - AO
yu-yu - Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattan Darou
woodblue - Dream Camp
woodblue - Mou Nani Mou Iwanai
woodblue - Deji
My Trip to Japan (August 2011)
Pics of my 2 week trip to Japan in August 2011. Happy to answer any questions about places etc... Please see picture descriptions below.
Music: Country Road by RE:NDZ
*this was the original song until YouTube claimed copywrite. It's now some random far eastern song from YouTube's free song list.
0:00 - T-shirt for Tohoku 11/03/11
0:04 - Meiji Jingū, Yoyogi kōen, Tōkyō
0:07 - Railway Crossing from 5 Centimeters Per Second near Yoyogi kōen ~ Exact Location (GPS Co-ordinates): 35.677684,139.692994
For all the location of scenes from 5CPS, go to:
0:10 - Screen shot of Railway Crossing from 5 Centimeters Per Second
0:13 - Sakura Tree from 5 Centimeters Per Second in Yoyogi kōen ~ Exact Location (GPS Co-ordinates): 35.672650,139.694912
0:16 - Screen shot of Sakura Tree from 5 Centimeters Per Second
0:19 - Harajuku, Tōkyō
0:22 - Shibuya, Tōkyō
0:25 - Shinjuku, Tōkyō
0:28 - English Pub Hub, Shinjuku, Tōkyō
0:31 - Robot from Laputa at Studio Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, Tōkyō
0:34 - Fuji Onsenji Yumedono Ryokan, near Kawaguchiko, Mt. Fuji
0:37 - View of Mt. Fuji from Kawaguchiko
0:41 - Rāmen from Rāmen shop in Kawaguchiko
0:43 - Sunset at the coast in Niigata
0:46 - Yahiko Shrine gate, Niigata
0:49 - Yahiko Shrine, Niigata
0:52 - Shrine at top of Yahiko Shrine, Niigata
0:55 - Cut-outs at base of Gifu-jō, Gifu
0:58 - Higashitamamizucho Gardens, Kyōto
1:01 - Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyōto
1:04 - My own little protest. Basically, Kyoto temples rejected this type of wood (which Buddhist believing people write relatives names that have passed on it to pay tribute) from the Tohoko/Fukushima areas on grounds of radiation contamination. All Tohoku/Fukushima wanted to do was pay a greater tribute considering the circumstances, but the Kyoto temples rejected it. Not good. So here's me sticking it to the man if you will.
Translated it basically says, Burn the Tohoko wood, it is not radioactive ~ this wood was burnt as part of the festival.
1:07 to 1:13 - Me chanting in protest at Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyōto. Chant: Burn the Tohoku wood!
1:15 - Cool sand patterns at a temple in Kyōto
1:18 - Bamboo! at same temple as previous photo in Kyōto
1:21 - Tea ceremony at Gion Corner, Kyōto
1:23 - Me tasting the tea as part of the tea ceremony at Gion Corner, Kyōto
1:26 - Gagaku Music and Dance at Gion Corner, Kyōto
1:29 - Kyogen Theatre at Gion Corner, Kyōto (very funny)
1:32 - Kyo-mai at Gion Corner, Kyōto (Dances by Maiko)
1:35 - On a bus in Kyōto
1:38 - Kinkaku-ji, Kyōto
1:41 - planking at Kinkaku-ji, Kyōto
1:44 - View from Saganakanoshimacho Bridge, Arashiyama, Kyōto
1:47 - Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama, Kyōto
1:50 - At small shrine in the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama, Kyōto
1:53 - A couple of Maiko for tourism (not real Maiko) in Arashiyama, Kyōto
1:56 - Releasing the lanterns into Arashiyama River, Kyōto, to end the Oban Festival
1:59 - Late night Ukai Fishing on Arashiyama River, Kyōto
2:02 - The Ryokan I stayed at in Kyōto ~ Nagomi-Ryokan Yuu, Kyōto (very nice and cheap)
2:05 - Tourist Information Desk at Nara-eki (helped me a lot)
2:08 - Free YMCA personal tour guide for Nara! Hiro Masutani is a legend! (If you go to Nara I recommend asking the Tourist Information Desk at Nara-eki for one. Real blessing!)
2:11 - Kōfuku-ji, Nara
2:14 - Entrance gate to Todai-ji, Nara (It was massive!)
2:17 - Todai-ji, Nara (Largest wooden structure in the World!)
2:20 - The hole in a pillar inside Todai-ji, which is apparently the same size as the Daibutsu's nostril. It is said that those who can squeeze through this opening will be granted enlightenment in their next reincarnation.
2:23 - Kasuga-taisha, Nara
2:26 - Bamboo Tree, Nara ~ It is hollow, and bamboo grows from the soil at the base inside the tree.
2:29 - Community shrine in Nipponbashi, Ōsaka
2:32 - Ōsaka-jō, Ōsaka
2:35 - Ōsaka-jō, Ōsaka
2:38 - Fans of some J-Pop band that were playing at the convention centre next to Ōsaka-jō on the same day I went to Ōsaka-jō, Ōsaka
2:41 - Maidcafe in Nipponbashinishi, Ōsaka (Maidolce)
2:44 - Rāmen Museum, Yokohama
2:47 - Akihabara, Tōkyō
2:50 - Akihabara, Tōkyō
2:53 - Goutokuji, Setagaya, Tōkyō (Hometown of Takaki-kun in 5 Centimeters Per Second)
2:56 - Reinactment of Takaki-kun on the train to Iwafune, Tochigi
2:59 - Screen shot of Takaki-kun on the train to Iwafune, Tochigi (5 Centimeters Per Second)
3:02 - View from Iwafune-eki, Tochigi
3:05 - Cover shot of view from Iwafune-eki, Tochigi (5 Centimeters Per Second)
3:08 - Kitten that I found sleeping on me after a quick nap on a bench in Iwafune-eki, Tochigi
3:11 - With friend at IBF, Chiba-ken, Matsudo-shi, Shinmatsudo
3:14 - With friends at resturant in Harajuku, Tōkyō
3:17 - With friend at resturant in Harajuku, Tōkyō
3:20 - Last night spent at Ōedo-Onsen-Monogatari, Tōkyō