Nikko

For those looking to escape the cosmopolitan chaos of Tokyo, Nikko offers a welcome urban retreat, which can be enjoyed in one day, but best for a weekend if you have the time. About two hours from Asakusa Station, the houses begin to grow farther and farther apart and the concrete jungle gives way to sprawling countryside and if you're lucky, a glimpse of Fuji-san. After a winding bus ride up 37 curves, we reached the sleepy resort town of Lake Chuzengi. Popular among politicians and visiting dignitaries, the tranquil lakeside is dotted with shops and restaurants. Large swan boats can be rented for the day and the faint laughter of children as they jumped into the water combined to create a home-town ambience.

Hidden among the trees and windy roads were several waterfalls and hiking trails. We ate lunch at a small soba shop where the boys discovered katsudon curry (fried pork and curry rice) and a new reason to live. I think Mike was just glad to get the taste of the terriyaki grasshoppers out of his mouth.

After lunch and another long bus ride, we arrived at Toshogu Shrine, self proclaimed to be Japan's most beautiful shrine. Unlike typical shrines, Toshogu Shrine is very rich, colorful and almost gaudy, like your grandmother's jewelry box. The famous "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" monkies are carved as a monument to the famous Buddhist belief. As you pass under the tall torii gate, the towering 5 tiered pagoda off to your right provides a good photo op. Wear comfortable shoes as there are a lot of steps and you must remove your shoes ever time you enter a temple. It still amazes me how the Japanese women can teeter around in 4 inch stillettos without breaking a sweat. The Shrine is a haven for wild monkies. I was hoping to see someone slip on a banana peel, but no such luck.

We entered one of the smaller shrines, sans shoes of course, where there was a crowd gathering underneath a flaky painting of a dragon. Wasn't too impressed until one of the monks, (I think he was a monk, or else an Asian Hugh Hefner because he was sporting the silk bath robe), was banging some blocks together. If he stood underneath the heart of the dragon, and clapped his blocks, the room would echo like the roar of the dragon. But standing under any other part of the dragon's body, there was no sound. This is what I gathered anyways, he was speaking Japanese, so I was pretty much left to invent my own interpretation for you.

Every year, on the 18th of October, Nikko throws a festival to celebrate Japan's most notorious samurai. Hundreds of samurai parade the area around the shrine in colorful costumes, decked in samurai swords. Sounds like a swashbuckling good time! Hope you can all make it out to see this beautiful part of Japan, and stay away from the grasshoppers. They do taste as bad as they look...