Today was the first day I could sleep in and didnt have to rush. The hotel also had a buffet breakfast prepared by chefs so I got some proper food too. By 9am I left the hotel and went up the main tourist street to the historic area.

Nikko is the site of several world heritage sights and there is a km long tourist street leading to the shrines. There is dense forestry in this region reminding me of British Columbia Canada. Also the small town setting in the trees was similar to Korean temples.

At the end of the km long street I saw a big sign for tickets. I thought this was for the temples. Instead it was just for the Shinkyo red bridge that crosses the river. I had already paid 300Y ($3.50) before I realized I didnt need to go here and just wasted my money.

I climbed into the main area where the temple complexes were. The first was Rinnoji and the ticket was 900Y ($11.20). Unfortunately this was under restoration so there wasnt much to see.

The main hall was supposed to have three giant gold gods which could still be seen behind plastic tarps. No pictures were allowed and most of the hall was draped off for restoration work.

There were signs to goto the rooftop to see the restoration. This was not part of the building but a 7 story steel structure built around the building. You had to climb the steel stairwell to reach the top and pass a steel walkway around the perimeter where you could look down at the wooden beams. Not one for heights I made my way down as you could hear the sound and vibrations of the temporary steel structure.

To enter the Toshugu Shrine I had to pay 2100Y ($26.25) for a combo ticket to the museum as well. This was getting costly and it would be nice if they had a day pass ticket with entrance to all sites. Also they were not taking credit cards and it was cash only.

The Toshugu complex was besieged by every schoolkid in Japan who all decided to have a school trip on the same day. There was the sacred horse stable, three wise monkeys, and interesting architecture looking more like electrical transformers rather than a religious temple.

As with most large temple complexes it was an inner ring design holding more buildings within each smaller ring.

There was some ongoing restoration, shoes had to be removed within shrines, and no pics were allowed.

I climbed a long staircase to get away from the crowds to the other shrines but this was still part of Toshugu and didnt lead me out so I had to climb all the way back down.

There was a building everyone was crowding into and had big lines moving very slowly making it very humid. This had a painted ceiling with a white dragon but I moved out to get away from the crowd and congestion.

West of the Toshogu complex are more shrines. First was Jogyo-do which had a private religious event taking place.

After another small temple was the Taiyuin complex part of my combo ticket. It was elevated in stages so lots of stairs for each level but no crowds here.

This complex was beautifully decorated now that I could appreciate it without the swarms of schoolkids. The innermost temple did not allow photos again.

Unfortunately rolling drizzle showers were back after fantastic weather on Hokkaido Island making me more tired with all the walking. It seems the weather was no longer going to co-operate, a problem I was going to have for the rest of the trip outside of Hokkaido Island.

Back towards the Toshugu complex my combo ticket also included the museum. This was a small building with swords and other items.

Nikko is an easy day trip from Tokyo with its own Nikko line. The outdoor country setting is quite peaceful and again reminded me of many similar outdoor complexes in Korea.