Walking in the ancient city of Nikko is like walking in an enchanted forest. There are big cedars aged hundreds of years old standing tall and lining the paths and walkways, surrounding the temples, shrines and pagodas. They cover, shade and moisten the whole area, causing all big and small rocks, even stone walls to be covered with ferns and moss, giving the atmosphere of an enchanted forest.
The temples, shrines and pagodas here in Nikko were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The site includes ;
-The Buddhist temple of Rinnô-ji, established in AD 766. This building features statues of Amida, Kannon with a thousand arms, and Kannon with a horse's head.
-The Shinto shrine of Tōshō-gū that is famous for its beautiful shrine and statuaries. The most renowned is the three wise monkeys ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil’.
-Futarasan-jinja shrine with its famous red wooden bridge. Shinkyo bridge is one of the three most unusual bridges of Japan. According to legend, while a priest was trying to cross the river, two snakes appeared and transformed themselves into a bridge for him to cross.
In addition, UNESCO also declared the area all around the shrine, including Cedar Avenue of Nikko, a World Heritage Site. As I said at the beginning, it is like walking in an enchanted forest. This enchanted forest that consists of nature, forest and mountains combined with thousand year old sacred temples and shrines. The relationship of humans with nature surely is a perfect blend of beauty. I spent a long time in the cedar forest. How many times will one get a chance to stroll in an enchanted forest like this? I stopped to greet the moss and ferns which covered the stone walls, and to breathe in full lungs of fresh air.
Many people plan to visit Nikko one day. But I think that’s not enough, Nikko is not a city to just zoom through. My partner and I were here for two nights. We had time to stroll in the enchanted forest, when it was quiet, experience the beauty of magical and sacred places. It is a magical and unforgettable experience.
In addition, Nikko also has many other places to visit. There are national parks that are full of natural beauty. There are many interesting hiking trails like Nikko's Beautiful Fields, Nikko's Lovely White Birch, Hiking Senjogahara and Odajirogahara, Nikko's Yuno-ko Lake, Fountainhead of Nikko Yumoto Onsen, Viewing field of yellow flowers ‘Kisuge’ and the famous waterfalls of Nikko ‘Kegon no taki’
Like they say in Japan, "Never say kekko until you see Nikko" (kekko means beautiful or magnificent). I really agree with this statement.
