Nikko, Japan

The town of Nikko lies about a two-hour train ride north of Tokyo in the hills of Tochigi prefecture. Famous for its temples and shrines, Nikko is also well known for monkeys. So, on a clear January 3rd, the idle monkey trainer ventured forth to experience the town.

 

The main attraction of Nikko is a rare clustering of temples and shrines, called Tosho-gu. The complex is the final resting place for the Tokugawa Ieyasu (died 1617). Now a World Heritage Site, the complex stands out among Japanese temples and shrines for a couple of reasons. The first is the proximity of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The second is the bright coloration of the buildings. In contrast to many temples and shrines in Japan, those at Tosho-gu are brilliantly adorned with gold, as well as the more traditional red.

 

Along the walls and eves are also numerous intricate carvings of animals and people. Perhaps the most famous of which are the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth to symbolize the Buddhist doctrine of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” (see photo at top) and the sleeping cats. The latter are reputed to be near life-like due to their intricacy (and require an additional 530 yen to view). 　

 

Up the mountain from Nikko are the Koggen Falls and the Nikko National Park. The falls take a spectacular drop from a lake, and are reputed to have drawn forlorn and unrequited lovers to make a final leap for centuries. Once source has it that more people jump here than from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Other sources have said that the national police each winter take advantage of the freezing of the falls to dive the pool at the base and remove the summer’s leapers. Sadly, it gets dark in Japan very early in winter, and when the idle monkey trainer arrived at the falls it was well past dark. Only the faintest ghost of the falls could be seen in the cold light of the crescent moon.

The only other let-down of the day was that Nikko’s famed monkeys were nowhere to be seen. And so, the idle monkey trainer remained idle.