Nikko

I went to Nikko, an area north of Tokyo with a lot of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s a nice place in the mountains with a nearby lake and river.

After taking a 2 hour train from Tokyo, we got lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I tried yuba, which is made of soy milk and is a Nikko specialty. Nearby was the Shinkyo Bridge, an iconic site in Nikko. It’s a really nice red color, which contrasts with the greenery behind it. We then walked around the nearby temples and shrines.

We started the second day by going to Tobu World Square, a place with models of famous attractions around the world. They split up the park based on regions. In the Japan section, there were models of Himeji Castle, Itsukushima Shrine, Tokyo Tower and Skytree, and more. I especially liked the Europe section, which had a lot of gothic style buildings (my favorite type of architecture). There was also the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Vatican City, and the Palace of Versailles. It was a really cool place to visit!

Afterwards we took the bus to a ropeway on the other side of Nikko. It took us to an observation deck and we had a great view of the lake and Kegon Waterfall. It was nice and cool up there too, a much needed break from the summer heat. We headed back in town for lunch and I also bought some age-manju, which was the best manju I’ve ever tried. Frying it tempura-style gave it a crispy coat and the adzuki bean in the middle was oozing out when I took a bite.