Blog #7: Enjoying the spiritual air of Nikko

Hello, I'm Tomohiko Ebashi.

Just after the summer vacation started, my whole family went over to experience the famous Kinugawa hot spring in Nikko for the first time. I was so excited to see all the historical sites in the area, which were mostly related to Tokugawa dynasty of Edo period.

On July 29th, we headed over to Kinugawa-onsen station by an express train called "Tobu Spacia"(the picture on the left). After a long journey, we finally got to the destination, and had the local Japanese noodle, "nira-soba" with tofu-like "yuba" as topping. Then, w went to a peaceful themepark called "Tobu World Square" to see all the well-made miniatures.  (the picture on the left is the miniature of Narita International Airport! Isn't it realistic??)

 Next day, we went to one of the most spiritual places in Japan : Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine. This place is well known as a "power-spot", since it is said that this shrine was made specially for Ieyasu Tokugawa as his mausoleum. Of course, I saw the tomb itself, but I also saw the famous "san-saru (three wise monkeys)", which symbolizes three keys to smartness. Going around every single site was such a exhausting mission, but all in all, it was such a wonderful experience to learn more about Japanese history. We finished the trip with a refreshing cup of Nikko's 100% natural "kaki-goh-ri (scraped ice)".

If you are interested in learning more about Japanese history, or just interested in cold treats, Nikko is the place where I strongly recommend you to check it out.