TOKYO - OCTOBER, 2012 [PART ONE]

This was my third trip to Tokyo. Because I had seen most of the sights in the city before, I spent most of this trip seeing sights outside of the city. I really enjoy Japan. It is very modern, and the people are very nice. I spent one week there on this trip, and as always, I really enjoyed my time there.

This is the Tokyo Skytree Tower which opened in May, 2012. It is the tallest freestanding tower in the world, and is now the number one tourist attraction in Japan. At the top are restaurants and an observation tower, and in the complex below is a large retail and restaurant area.

This is the Sensoji Temple, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo, built in 628 A.D. It is in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, which is the oldest area in Tokyo. It is a major tourist attraction, and is always crowded.

I took a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko National Park, which is a 2 1/2 hour trip by train north of Tokyo. Inside the park are several Buddist Temples and Shinto Shrines which are among the oldest, and most famous in Japan. The picture above is of the Rinnoji Temple. The temple is undergoing renovation, and is inside of the building shown in the picture [the temple image was painted on the outside of the building if you look closely. This temple was built in 766 A.D. You were able to go inside and see the inside of the temple, but photos were not allowed.

This is the entrance gate to the Toshogu Shrine, one of the most famous shrines in Japan.

Because Nikko National Park, and the shrines and temples inside the park are so historically and culturally important to the Japanese people, there were a lot of student groups on field trips there. Eack class wore different colored baseball caps so that the groups could be easily identified, and the students would not wander off, and get separated from their group.

Walking between the shrines and temples was very beautiful. Nikko National Park is in the mountains, and the area was very forested with old growth trees. It was very quiet, and the air was crisp and fresh.

This is the Shinkyo (Sacred Bridge) which was built in the 8th century A.D. It is one of the most famous bridges in Japan. The bridge is at the entryway to the Nikko National Park.

The leaves on the trees were just beginning to turn to the autumn colors.

These are some pictures that I took from the train window on the trip back to Tokyo. It was interesting to see the changes from the highly urbanized area of greater Tokyo travelling to Nikko through gradually increasing hills, and agricultural areas, to the mountains of Nikko. It was a very beautiful trip to take, and gave me an additional view of Japanese life outside of the big cities.