To Nikko:


(L) A right train is ready to start for Nikko at Utsunomiya station.
Left-side vehicle is a long-distance train between Utsunomiya-Zushi via Shinjuku, or Utunomiya-Atami stations, via Ueno-Tokyo.
(M) A symbol mark of the Nikko line train (R) JR Nikko railway station

(L) A train is just arrived at JR Nikko station 日光駅 (R) The exterior of Nikko JR station

Nikko


(L) Mishimaya sells sweets of the wise three monkeys 'see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.
(M)(R) A deer eating grass has recently increased its number and causing problems. 鹿が増えている

Nikko Kanaya Hotel　 日光金谷ホテル

　Steak-house Mihashi
A famous steak house; however, it was not satisfactory. We expected a very delicious steak. A domestic beef was very tender and
in a good quality. However, the taste was not quite fitting, at least in my mouth. Our favorite steak is cooked with a salt and pepper,
as served in the North America. For fried mussels, I do not know the good in a strange seasoning.


The Sacred Bridge crossing the Daiya River belongs to the Futarasan Shrine. This vermilion lacquered
structure is known as one of the three most beautiful bridges in Japan and is a perfect gateway for Nikko.
The bridge was registered as a World Heritage in December 1999. It measures 28 meters long,
7.4 meters wide, and stands 10.6 meters above the Daiya River.

大谷川に架かる神橋は、二荒山神社に所属しています。朱塗りの美しいこの橋は、日本三大美橋の一つとして知られ、
日光への玄関口として有名です。 この橋は1999年12月に世界遺産に登録されました。
長さ28メートル、幅7.4メートル、大谷川からの高さは10.6メートルです。


The Sacred Bridge, part of the Futarasan Shrine

The Sacred Bridge, part of the Futarasan Shrine 神橋 日光二荒山神社


Futarasan jinja (二荒山神社 ) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nikko. It is also known as Nikko Futarasan Shrine.
It is located between Nikko Tosho-gu and the Taiyu-in Mausoleum. Together with Nikko Tosho-gu and
Rinno-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine possesses
two swords that are National treasures of Japan.

日光二荒山神社は日光市にある神社で、日光東照宮と大猷院御陵の間に位置し、日光東照宮と輪王寺と共に、
ユネスコ世界遺産「日光の社寺」を構成しています。神社には、国宝の刀剣が2本奉納されています。



Trees around Futarasan Shrine

The outer wall of Rinnouji Shoyouen Garden 輪王寺逍遥園

The outer wall and outside garden of Rinnouji Shoyouen

Inner garden of Rinnouji Shoyouen garden　輪王寺逍遥園の内庭

Inner garden of Rinnouji Shoyouen garden

Inner garden of Rinnouji Shoyouen garden

Inner garden of Rinnouji Shoyoun garden

Inner garden of Rinnouji Shoyouen Garden


Nikko Toshogu Shrine:日光東照宮


Almost all the present-day shrine complex was rebuilt in 1636, twenty years after Tokugawa Ieyasu’s
enshrinement. Fifty-five buildings, including Yomeimon Gate (designated a National Treasure), were
completed in just one year and five months.

One of the special features of the shrine complex is the use of paths and stairways that follow the
natural topography of the site, allowing the arrangement of the shrine buildings in a pleasing balance
to create a solemn, religious atmosphere. The buildings are lacquered and decorated with vibrant colors,
and the pillars and other structures are covered in a multitude of carvings. The carvings not simply
design elements; they convey expressions of religious belief as well as scholarship and philosophy.
The shrine complex was registered as a World Heritage site in 1999.


現在の社殿のほぼ全ては、徳川家康の鎮座から20年後の1636年に再建されました。国宝に指定されている陽明門を
含む55棟の建物が、わずか1年5ヶ月で完成しました。境内の特徴の一つは、自然の地形に沿った参道や階段が
用いられていることです。これにより社殿が美しく調和し、荘厳で宗教的な雰囲気を醸し出しています。社殿は
漆塗りや鮮やかな色彩の装飾が施され、柱などの建造物には数々の彫刻が施されています。彫刻は単なる意匠では
なく、信仰の表現、学問や哲学の精神を伝えています。境内は1999年に世界遺産に登録されました。



Stone Torii Gate　 日光東照宮表参道


The important cultural property Ishidorii Gate was dedicated in 1618 by Kuroda Nagamasa, the feudal
lord of Kyushu Chikuzen (present day Fukuoka Prefecture). The stone for the use of the gate was
transported by ship from Kyushu to Koyama and then manually hauled over land to Nikko.

重要文化財の石鳥居は、1618年に九州筑前（現在の福岡県）の藩主黒田長政によって奉納されました。石は
九州から小山まで船で運ばれ、そこから陸路で日光まで人力で運ばれました。


Five-story Pagoda 五重塔　Frint Gate　表門


Gojunoto (Five-Story Pagoda) as designated an important cultural property was dedicated in 1648
by Sakai Tadakatsu, the feudal lord of Obama in Wakasa Province (present day Fukui Prefecture).
It was destroyed by fire in 1815 and rebuilt in 1818 by Sakai Tadayuki, a feudal lord of the same lineage.
Omotemon (Front Gate) as designated an important cultural property is the first gate at Toshogu Shrine.
It is also called Nio Gate because of the two guardian deity statues positioned on the left and right.

重要文化財に指定されている五重塔は、1648年に若狭国小浜藩主酒井忠勝によって建立されました。 1815年に
焼失しましたが、1818年に同家の藩主酒井忠行によって再建されました。 重要文化財に指定されている表門は、
東照宮の第一門です。 左右に二体の守護神像が鎮座していることから、仁王門とも呼ばれています。

---

Lake Chuzenji, Mount Hangtsu and Kegon Falls

Lake Chuzenji is a scenic lake in Nikko National Park in the city of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. It was
created 20,000 years ago when Mount Nantai (2,484 m) erupted and blocked the river. The lake has
a surface area of 11.62 squareKm and a circumference of 25 km. Its elevation at the surface is 1,269 m ,
and the water reaches a depth of 163 m. The Yukawa is the principal source of water. It drains through
the Kegon Falls. Chuzenji Lake was discovered in 782 by a priest named Shodo when his group
succeeded in climbing Mt. Nantai. Considered sacred, the mountain was closed to women, horses,
and cows until 1872.

中禅寺湖、半月山、華厳の滝 中禅寺湖は、栃木県日光市にある日光国立公園内の美しい湖です。約2万年前、男体山
（標高2,484メートル）の噴火で川がせき止められたことで誕生しました。湖面面積は11.62平方キロメートル、
周囲は25キロメートルです。湖面標高は1,269メートル、水深は163メートルです。主な水源は湯川で、華厳の
滝から流れ出ています。中禅寺湖は、782年に勝道という僧侶が男体山の登頂に成功した際に発見されました。
聖山とされ、1872年まで女性、馬、牛の立ち入りが禁じられていました。


From JR and Tobu Nikko railway stations (543 M), a bus takes a tourist to the Lake Chuzenji.
It has the altitude of 1,269 M and the highest natural lake in Japan.
JR日光駅と東武日光駅（標高543メートル）からは、バスが中禅寺湖まで。中禅寺湖は標高1,269メートルにあり、日本で一番高い自然湖です。

(L) Lake Chuzenji and the snow-covered Mt. Shirane (R) 中禅寺 Chuzenji Temple

A mountain view from the site near Chuzenjiko-Observatrory parking lot 中禅寺湖展望台駐車場

Trail to Mount Hangetsu from Cuzenjiko-Observatory parking lot

半月山への険しい山道 　A rugged mountain trail to Mt. Hangetsu　筆者

A rugged mountain trail to Mt. Hangetsu

A rugged mountain trail to Mt. Hangetsu　

A grand view of Lake Chuzenji and Mt. Nantai：
(C) This photograph was taken by Junhaku Miyamoto, near the top of Mt. Hangetsu ( Altitude 1,753 M) on November 2, 2017

Lake Chuzenji and Mt. Nantai　中禅寺湖、男体山、湖に突き出た八丁出島

(L) A signpost (R) 半月山公共駐車場 Hangetsusan public parking lot: This is the final point of a mountain highway.
In the background, there was the fact that a lawsuit by natural conservation activities led to cancellation of construction of the new further mountain road.
自然保護活動家らによる訴訟により、この先の新たな山岳道路建設は中止に

(L) Hangetsusan bus stop 半月山バス停 (R) Lake Chuzenji and Mt. Nantai



In the middle of the Meiji period and early Showa period, many European embassies built vacation
houses on the lakeside. The former Italian villa has been renewed and is now open to visitors. Other
sites around the lake include Chuzenji Temple, and Kegon Falls. In spring, cherry blossoms are blooming.
In summer, people can escape the heat and enjoy bird watching and hiking. In fall of course, there are
the famous beautiful autumn leaves and in winter, there are the Snow and Ice Festival, plus winter
sports like skiing and skating. The lake was a favorite summer haunt of Sir Ernest Satow when he was
Britain's envoy in Japan, 1895-1900 as his diaries of that time attest. He constructed a house by the lake
which was used as a villa by the British Embassy for over a century.


明治中期から昭和初期にかけて、多くのヨーロッパの大使館が湖畔に別荘を建てました。かつてイタリアの
別荘だった建物は改修され、現在は一般公開されています。湖畔には中禅寺や華厳の滝などの名所があり、
春には桜が咲き誇ります。夏には避暑地としてバードウォッチングやハイキングを楽しむことができます。
秋は美しい紅葉が有名で、冬には雪と氷の祭典、スキーやスケートなどのウィンタースポーツも楽しめます。
1895年から1900年にかけて英国大使として日本に駐在していたサー・アーネスト・サトウ卿は、この湖を
夏のお気に入りの場所としていました。彼は湖畔に家を建て、 それは1世紀以上にわたり英国大使館の別荘と
して使われました。
Source:Wikipedia


A trail to the embassy sites: Left trail, Italian, Right trail, Britishi Embassy Memorial Park

イタリア大使館別荘記念公園 Italian Embassy Villa
The house on the park grounds were built for villas of th Italian Ambassadors until 1997.

Italian Embassy Villa

Italian Embassy Villa

Italian Embassy Villa and Lake Chuzenji

A lakeside terrace and Lake Chuzenji

英国大使館別荘記念公園 British Embassy Villa

The exterior of British Embassy Villa and Lake Chuzenji

中禅寺湖 Lake Chuzenji, the highest natural lake in Japan, at the time near sunset

Aircraft clouds crossing the lake


Kegon Falls is located at the east side of Lake Chuzenji in Nikko National Park. The falls were formed
when the River was rerouted by lava flows. The main falls had a height of approximately 97 meters, and
about twelve smaller waterfalls are situated behind and to the sides of Kegon Falls, leaking through
the many cracks between the mountain and the lava flows.

華厳の滝は、日光国立公園の中禅寺湖の東側に位置しています。この滝は、溶岩流によって川筋が変えられ
形成されました。本滝は約97メートルの高さがあり、華厳の滝の背後や両脇には、山と溶岩流の間にある
多くの割れ目から水が流れ落ちる12ほどの小滝が点在しています。



華厳の滝 Kegon Falls and foreign tourists

Kegon Falls and a full moon over the mountain


Nikko Toshou-gu Shrine and Tobu Railway 日光東照宮 他 2018
Hotel Shikisai, Nikko
Smoke-free Hotels in Japan
A summary of smoking-room rate studied in local hotels of Japan

H
Smoking Restriction at Hotels in the World: Actual Survey
The ratio of a smoking guest room to the total hotel rooms was calculated,
based on-the-spot investigation.


日光、中禅寺湖、半月山
　執筆 　医学博士　宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel.
The article was written in Octobr 2017.
All photography was taken by Dr. Junhaku Miyamoto in October 2017.
Copyright (C) 2017 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.