Sunshine in Sunshine (Nikko)

The ancient site of Nikko in Tochigi prefecture is one of the most visited places in Japan.
The Tokugawa shogun built this collection of temples and mausoleums in a mountain fastness pretty much in the dead center of the main island of Japan.

At the time it was very isolated and the effort required to move all the materials and craftsmen up into the mountains was staggering. It is very much the Versailles of Japan.

 The sake brewers bring barrels of the new season's sake to be blessed. As do the brewers.

 We were lucky enough to see a wedding and a seventh birthday celebration.

Elaborate gilded designs are everywhere, these ones recently restored. Far from being garish the designs blend perfectly with the ancient timbers and surrounding forest and stones.

 The most splendid collection of carved and decorated birds adorn hundreds of meters of screens. Like the Chinese warriors each one is different.

 These photos show some of the joins used in the  construction and restoration.

Now World Heritage listed, major restoration works are being undertaken as much of the elaborate ornamentation is directly exposed to the elements. The task of restoration is enormous. The buildings are made without nails or metal, all the timbers slot together like a giant wooden puzzle. Slot is not really the right word as an amazing number of different tongue and groove and related jigsaw like shapings are required.

 

Up North

 With Naomi we made a four day trip up through Chichibu and  on through the North Coast. Then we crossed over the central mountains of Japan to the other coast and home through Fukushima.

The autumn colours were in full flight and once you get outside the cities the rural areas of Japan are incredibly wild and beautiful.

One of the joys of the Chichibu area is the food. At this time of the year you get mountain vegetables and leaves as tempura.




Even tempura of autumn leaves.

At this time of year you get the little river fish, Iwana, dipped in salt and charcoal grilled on a bamboo skewer.
 One of the delights of life.

View from our bedroom window at the inn.

Ready for winter.

The tough North West coast where the Siberian  winds blow. The fishermen here earn their catch the hard way.

Fresh sea urchin sushi. A delicate flavour of jasmine flowers and not at all fishy.

Daikon, Japanese radish drying in the cold wind.

 

Trees being trussed up and protected so the branches do not break under the coming heavy winter snows.

Old rice warehouses in Sakata, still in use.

The snow starting in the central mountains.

The local little drinking shop in Fukushima, the yellow tin on the counter is where all the spare change goes for the earthquake victims.











                                    A very lucky shot of the drinking shop mama adjusting the lantern outside. Normally when you take their photo Japanese stop whatever they are doing, line up, and make ridiculous V for victory signs.

Good things

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In the danger zone

During our trip to the North we came back through Fukushima and Minamisoma. On the coast in the the big towns they have tidies up a lot a lot. However all along the coast there are small communities completely devastated and much left to tidy up.

Abandoned houses and empty ruined greenhouses. Particularly strange as Japanese farms are normally spotlessly tidy.

Peoples businesses no more.

This used to be a  large area of houses.

The road block South of Minamisoma at the lmit of the no-go zone.

Earthqauke damage. This large town of about 15,000 completely abandonned to escape the radiation. No time to repair or tidy up. There are still things on the shelves of the shops and everything left untouched. This being Japan of course ..no looters.

The ten of thousands survivors of all this are living in temprary housing, families in a single room.

The 24hr closed McDonalds