How many temples and shrines can you see in a day? More than you'd think - more, in fact, than you'd want to think about. Nikko is a town to the north of Tokyo that did, in the past, house a Buddhist training centre, and retains to this day some wonderful monuments to the past and to that religion (see Ciarán posing manfully in front of one of them above). Our mission for the day was - it seems - to see every single one of them. We did our best, but with respect, you know, you've seen one Buddhist shrine...
Travelling to Nikko though, now there was a monument to the future. The Shinkansen - or bullet train - is really Japan's treat to the tourist. By allowing you to travel for one week for the price of one trip for a native, you'd think that the Japanese are just trying to show off - and maybe they are. In fairness, if the DART travelled as close to the speed of sound as this particular vehicle, and if it arrived with such timetabled precision - we'd be inviting the world and it's mother to the Howth to Graystones line. Remarkable.
Tomorrow we're off to Kyoto - the anagram lovers Tokyo as the Simpsons called it - but more importantly, the ancient capital of this land of the rising sun. What sights do they have to offer us - yes, you've guessed it, temples and shrines.
We know nothing of the Internet connectivity in Kyoto, so you may need to wait some time to read the next installment - so until then...
