Japan Summer Vacation Trips - Pics/Video 5

Arriving at Kinugawa station, we're introduced to this guy "Kinugawa Ken".







We came here because we had reservations at a hot spring resort hotel (onsen in japanese, or more specifically kashikiri onsen no rotenburo - the type with private hot spring baths outdoors).

We took a shuttle bus from the station to the hotel, and here's a few pictures going into the hotel. And the last is a picture out the window of the hotel (the hotel is on the rockface of the Kinugawa River).







And some photos of our hotel room and theview from it!







Next post we'll be photos/videos of the nearby river, the hot spring baths, etc.

Japan Summer Vacation Trips - Pics/Video 4

Sorry, life got a little busy. on with the next part!

Here is probably the most famous shrine in Nikkou I think. The outside has carvings of monkeys doing the 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' thing, and it's used here as a metaphor for the various levels of living (the children all keep quiet for survival, waiting for the mother to come back with food, etc. but the carvings get more deep - with the monkey looking to the heavens as the spiritual part of life beyond just survival, etc.)









Then we headed to a more 'inner sanctum' part of the whole Nikko world heritage area, where many of the shrines are densely arranged. On with the photos!

















Exiting from the main shrine area, we took this long and lovely path to another shrine and then we headed out, so I think here's the last of the nikko shrine photos.








Next post, coming up in just a few minutes, we move on to Kinugawa (A famous and beautiful river) where we head to a hot spring resort hotel.