If It's Monday This Must Be Nikko

I will try to add pictures to this later, but I'm writing from the hotel in Sapporo, so I can't post any of my pictures right now (I'm using Tim's computer).

Monday morning, we walked to the station and caught a train for Nikko. I've posted entries about that before, but briefly, it's considered to be one of the most impressive temple complexes in Japan. (Actually, many people here consider it to be ostentatious--it is VERY ornate.) Even though I've visited about five times now, I'm still impressed every time I see it. They are currently doing some restoration, so part of the floor is being replaced in the main temple, and it was actually very interesting to see the process. They are, of course, doing it with the traditional construction techniques that were used to build it.

After we toured the main temple site, we walked along a pathway into an area that I had never seen before. We didn't stay there long, but it was good to see another section I hadn't toured before, and it was amazing how large the complex is.

After that, we walked almost to the edge of the town to the emperor's former summer villa. The imperial family stopped using it a while back, and it was subsequently turned into a museum. I will post pictures and video links later. I don't think even then it will be possible to communicate the feeling that it gives you; even though the lines and forms created by the architecture are rather simple, the overall feeling is very impressive. It's one of the most graceful, elegant, refined places I have ever seen.

In a building next to the villa, there is small museum exhibition space, and they were having an origami display. Tim had seen posters for this exhibition in Utsunomiya, and I didn't know where it was being held, and planned to find it later, so when it was exactly where we were already visiting, it was a great addition to the trip. The origami art was amazing; I had no idea it was possible to make so many different animals (and other items) with origami.

Tim also sampled the local microbrewed beer in the first stage of what I am now thinking of as the "Japan beer tour" (Tim, I'm just giving details--like I said, it's your vacation, and I'm happy to share the experience with you!)

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see the Chuzenjiko area, but I knew we already had plans to see a beautiful natural area on the Hokkaido part of our trip later. (And we certainly did! We visited Onuma Quasi National Park (yes, that's really the name), but more about that later.)

We got home, and started to prepare for the Hokkaido trip.

It's late, and tomorrow is our last day in Sapporo, so I need to go to bed--more later.