In late August, as part of preparation for Mt Fuji ascent, I visited Nikkō region of UNESCO fame. However, I did not go there to see the renowned Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, rather I wanted to visit Lake Chūzenji, see Kegon Falls and, most importantly, climb the 2,500m tall Mt Nantai located in Nikkō National Park, a famous, beautiful regular conical shape volcano. These are located slightly away from the town of Nikkō; the area is called Oku-Nikkō(奥日光, meaning Inner Nikkō) and comprises Nikkō National Park (日光国立公園; Nikkō kokuritsu kōen).
Mt Nantai (男体山; Nantai-san) with Lake Chūzenji (中禅寺湖; Chūzenji-ko) in the foreground. Credit: Wikipedia
To get there, I took a train. At first I decided to forego buying an All Nikkō Pass for a low-low price of 4,520 yen! ;-) What a mistake! I thought I would cheat the system by using the necessary transport only, but I was wrong. I should have known from my previous trip to Hakone-Yumoto that the Japanese have calculated it exactly so that it's slightly more advantageous to buy the pass than not.
No matter.
I actually decided to go on a whim. Originally I had planned to go a week later but thought 'Hey, I've got a day off, why not now!' The weather at Yokohama looked great - slightly overcast, not too hot, a perfect day for climbing. The japan-guide.com website describes the weather at Oku-Nikkō as generally fairer than in the surrounding countryside because of the higher elevation, so who would bother checking weather forecast!
Unfortunately, since I had been researching my future travels in Japan the night before I decided to go, I had slept but one hour prior to the trip. Should have known better (than going).
I took a Tōkyū Denentoshi train from Tama Plaza (western suburbs, almost Yokohama) all the way to Kita-senju (north-east of greater Tokyo downtown), where I witnessed train-pushing for a short time:
The weather at Oku-Nikkō really does follow its own patterns. As I took a Tobu Railway rapid train from Kita-senju to Tōbu Nikkō, the weather has gotten progressively worse. I still had an option to turn around (for next to no cost, as I did not buy the All Nikkō Pass), but it only looked as minor drizzle that could clear up once you were high up in the mountains.
An excerpt from an unrelated parallel train ride on the same railway (Tobu Skytree Line).
Boy was I wrong.
Shortly after getting off the train at Nikkō and getting on the bus, when we reached the famous Irohazaka road that climbs up to Oku-Nikkō it was clear to me that the sky was anything but clear.
There is an interesting story about the name of this road. Iroha are the first three of 48 syllables of the formerly used Japanese alphabet, and zaka means slope. The one-way roads (one going up, one down) comprise 48 hairpin turns, each labeled by one of the 48 characters of the alphabet, and while the roads have been modernized over the years, care has been taken to keep the number of curves constant. Credit: therightwrong.net
By this time I had paid about ¥2,500 for the transport. Double that going back and I have already spent quite a bit more than on the pass which is valid for 4 days and gives you unlimited bus travel in the area.
I was misinformed about the bus price which wikitravel claimed cost ¥950 - or I just plainly misread it.
Nevertheless, I was there.
First, I came late (I had intended to take the 6 o'clock train; only succeeded to take the one 2-3 hours later). Then, I was sleepy. On top of it, it was rainy. And finally, I spent $50+ just to get there and back. I couldn't even see the Kegon Falls, because it was so foggy!
Can you see any Kegon Falls in this picture?
Anyway I spent there 4-5 hours, mostly just sleeping and waiting for the weather to clear up. It did not happen; rather, it started raining cats and dogs. I got completely drenched just by walking to the Futarasan Chūgūshi shrine where the trailhead to the top of Mt Nantai starts. In the end I had to turn around and leave. I arrived back home, having lost the entire day in a vain pursuit.
The next time it had to be better.
I decided to re-try in two weeks, early September. My time in Japan was coming to an end and the last possible dates for the Mt Fuji trip were looming. This time I did check the weather forecast, specifically for Oku-Nikkō area. What did it say?
Rain. All day.
It was raining in Tokyo as well.
So I decided not to go.
But when I woke up next morning, the sun was shining bright, the clouds were gone, and even the forecast for Oku-Nikkō flipped 180°. And I flipped out.
I collected my belongings and darted out for the trip (without preparing any food!) I was almost 3 hours late anyway (again!) so I figured I would buy something on the road.
Wiser now, I took a train to Asakusa with a change at Omote-sandō onto the oldest subway line in Asia, the Ginza line. I bought the All Nikkō Pass at Tobu Railway ticket office, bought some food for the trip and boarded the same commuter rapid as the last time, only this time it was from the ridiculously tiny platform at Tobu Asakusa station.
The All Nikkō Pass does not entitle you to take the Tobu Railway special cool-90s-style limited express Spacia, so I had to content with just taking pictures.
And boy did I use this privilege...
I had to be happy with sitting in a 50-year-old tin can called commuter train, but it was about the same fast as Spacia. And half the price.
One more picture of Spacia, for good measure.
After we have gotten to Tōbu-Nikkō, I did not vacillate, took the bus, and while on the road I snapped the following picture:
Shortly we reached Lake Chūzenji and my trip began in the fullest. First I went to see the Kegon Falls.
It's one of the three highest waterfalls in Japan... and a spectacular scenic sight in Japan terms.
You can view the 97m-high waterfall from the top for free and you can also pay ¥500 to get an elevator ride to a lower platform.
...or you can download an image from Wikipedia for an unforgettable mid-air viewing platform. Credit: Wikipedia
There is a museum right next to the waterfall and for about ¥400 you can learn more about the area and its natural history.
And for about ¥0 you can see amazing moving pictures of the waterfall!
After having seen this waterfall I went to the site of another one, this time Ryuzu Falls (龍頭の滝 - Ryūzu-no-taki, literally Dragon's Head Waterfall).
Japan's guide has some real beautiful shots full of autumn colours. Credit: Japan-guide.com
It's not as impressive as Kegon Falls...
My dull late summer shot
Detail of the right fall
...but it boasts some beautiful cascades...
Credit: traverseworld.com
...and the view from top is memorable.
This shot is from a bridge.
Again in realHDR autumn colors. Credit: Japan-guide.com
There is a restauurant right under the waterfall and next to it...
...a small adorable shrine...
...and under a different angle...
...with a few religious statues.
From there my time was getting shorter so I couldn't run up to Senjogahara Plateau to view eponymous marshes; instead, I had to turn my attention to Mt Nantai.
As it happens, Mt Nantai means mountain of male body (男体山 - Nantai-san, meaning man-body-mountain). Why, or whether it carries any significance, I shall never know.
There it is, in autumn colors. Credit: japan-guide.com
Before that, though, I visited the Futarasan Chugu-shi shrine, which is located at the foot of Nantai-san and serves as the trailhead. The shrine takes its name from Mount Nantai, which is also called Futarasan (二荒山).
Glorious entrance...
...guarded by lions mighty and young...
...as well as old and moss-overgrown...
...boa constrictor...
...learned person...
...who is, in turn, guarded by deer...
...Mickey Mouses...
...and a whole host of other creatures...
...rather diverse (or dwarvese?)...
...spread about the premises...
...begging for money.
It's the second of Nikko's three Futarasan shrines - hence the name, where chūgūshi (中宮祠) literally means middle shrine. Futarasan's main shrine stands down in central Nikko, while the third shrine is on the summit of Mount Nantai itself.
A few outlying buildings...
...on the way to the trailhead
That brings me to the lake's name, directly upon whose shores this shrine stands. Chūzenji-ko, or 中禅寺湖, means middle Zen-Buddhist temple lake. But then there is the dissonance between shrine (Shintō) and temple (Buddhist)... as if I care ;-)
An evening shot of the lake, from the site of the shrine.
The trail starts here.
The ascent is fairly straightforward, a 5 km track going steep up without much of a let up.
...shrooms!
...on the way up.
Flowers spotted...
...while ascending.
Receding treeline...
...is home to some spiders.
The higher you go...
...the more desolate it looks.
Finally on top!
A few more interesting statues...
...at the top.
And some shrines...
...as well.
A couple stone slabs...
...with writings...
Time to go back!
Some more mushrooms...
...and flowers...
...on the way down.
On my way back home to Tokyo I missed the last rapid, but thanks to the unbelievably well organized public transport in Japan, all it took was but a few local or express trains with changes that took no more than a minute.
