From c425c34aeb833f92351c4316dccc34dfff38fb81 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: bernie Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:51:51 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Edit page blog/2009/April --- blog/2009/April | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 34 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/blog/2009/April b/blog/2009/April index f909b3b..4d8597f 100644 --- a/blog/2009/April +++ b/blog/2009/April @@ -2,9 +2,41 @@ === April 27th === -==== Zenko-ji ==== +==== Morning: Zenko-ji ==== -In the morning, we went back to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji]] +In the morning, we tried again to visit the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji]]. +Even on a Monday, the queue was not much shorter. A nice volunteer guide advised us that +the pilgrims where queuing just to touch a wooden pole with an inscription on it that was +right in front of the temple, and we could skip aside if we weren't interested. So we did. + +We still had to queue for half an hour inside the temple to reach the secret chamber where +we would get the rare opportunity to see the hidden Buddha, visible only once every seven +years. Quite a lucky combination! I was impressed by the devotion of the people around me. +The spiritual side of Japanese people does not seem to clash at all with their high-tech lifestyle. + +TODO: dark corridor + +I only have outdoors [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/Zenko-ji|photos]] becuase taking +pictures inside was strictly forbidden. A monk yelled at me just for fiddling too much with +my camera, which was quite surprising, considering how tolerant Japanese people usually are +towards our ignorance of their culture. + + +==== Afternoon: travel to Nikko ==== + +Nikko is in an adjacent valley east of Nagano on the Japanese alps. Unfortunately, no train lines +and busses connect them directly, so we had to take an expensive -- yet very fast -- Shinkansen +detour all the way down to Saitama and then up again. + +Once at the station, we immediately realized that our was a good investment, after all. +This mountain town overflows with temples, world heritage sites and statues of Buddah +spread in an extremely beautiful natural environment with many great falls, ancient woods +and hot springs where even wild monkeys take an onsen. + +Our [[http://www.nikkoparklodge.com/|hostel]] is ran by Zen monks and serves a wonderful vegan dinner. +In the evening, we exchanged excited stories with a family of Italian tourists from Milan who had +chosen to travel by car rather than by train to save money and gather access to places unreachable +by public transport. Not a bad idea if you're not afraid of driving on the left. === April 26th: Matsumoto again === -- 2.25.1