Japan Travel Guide & Map Tuttle Travel Pack. Wendy Hutton

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      Plenty of history has unfolded during the 750 years the Daibutsu has held court on its stone pedestal at Kotoku-in Temple, where he serenely sits cross-legged, eyes gently closed in meditation. The Muromachi, Momoyama, Edo, Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras have come and gone, as too have numerous wars and natural disasters. In fact, it was because of one of the latter that the Daibutsu is now exposed to the elements, for the wooden building that once housed him was washed away by a tsunami in 1495, a frightening thought given that Kotoku-in is almost a kilometer (half a mile) inland. Yet other than turning his bronze finish into its distinctive streaky mix of gray, green and soft metallic blue, the years exposed to the sun, wind and rain have been kind to the Daibutsu. The only real damage he has suffered is losing the gold leaf coating that some believe he may have had when he was completed in 1252.

      Although tourists primarily come (at times in droves) to see the giant Buddha, the rest of Hase is also worth exploring. Hase-dera, a temple high on the hillside between Kotoku-in and Hase Station, contains a 9-meter (30-foot)-tall gilded wooden statue of Kannon, said to have washed ashore at Hase after being carved and tossed into the sea by a monk from Nara during the 8th century. Nearby is Yuigahama Beach, a peaceful weekday spot with broad ocean views that’s ideal for a picnic away from the worst of Kotoku-in’s crowds. And just a few stations away are the historic temples and shrines of Kamakura (page 36), Japan’s capital in the 13th century, which with an early start you can comfortably combine with Hase to make a great day trip from Tokyo.

      Opening Times Open daily 8 a.m. to at least 5 p.m. Getting There Hase is three stops from Kamakura on the Enoden Line. Kamakura is best reached from Tokyo on the JR Yokosuka Line (via Yokohama) or on the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line from Shinjuku or Shibuya. Contact Kotoku Temple: kotoku-in.jp Admission Fee ¥200.

5 Tosho-gu Shrine, Nikko

      A memorial to Japan’s first shogun–in a stunning setting

      Garish or grand? The Tosho-gu Shrine complex in Nikko (page 41) most definitely qualifies as both. Its Yomei-mon Gate (Sun Blaze Gate) is a riot of color adorned with 400 ornate carvings of dancing maidens, birds and flowers. Its deep red five-story pagoda is accented with intricate decorations and vivid golds and greens. The more serene white and gold of the Kara-mon Gate provides the backdrop for even more elaborate carvings.

      An estimated 15,000 craftsmen took two years to build the Tosho-gu complex, during which they went through some 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf, a fitting decadence perhaps considering that the shrine was built for one of Japanese history’s most towering figures–Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan at the start of the 17th century to become the first of the Edo-era shoguns.

      Yet Tosho-gu isn’t all about Edo-era ostentation. Its natural setting, amid an ancient cryptomeria forest, evokes a sense of calm. And away from the glare of the main shrine buildings, Tosho-gu boasts many subtle points of interest. Above the shrine’s sacred stables, which shelter a beautiful white imperial horse given to Japan by New Zealand, hangs a famed carving of the three wise monkeys–remember “Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil”?–an image that represents the three main principles of Tendai Buddhism. Nearby, en route to Ieyasu’s surprisingly understated tomb, is the equally renowned (though so small it’s easily missed) 16th- or 17th-century Nemuri Neko carving of a sleeping cat.

      Just as impressive is the Honji-do, a small hall that is actually part of a separate temple, not Tosho-gu. The hall’s ceiling is adorned with the painting of a raging dragon that the temple’s priests bring to life by standing directly under its head and clapping two blocks of wood together, thus creating an echo that shrieks dramatically through the temple.

      Opening Times Open daily from 8 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. Getting There Nikko is best reached on the Tobu Line (Tobu Nikko Station) from Asakusa in Tokyo (2 hours 10 minutes). From there frequent buses make the short run to Tosho-gu, which is otherwise a 20-minute walk. Contact Nikko Tourist Association: nikko-jp.org Admission Fee Admission to Tosho-gu is ¥1,300, but to see all of Nikko’s main attractions it’s better to buy a ¥1,000 combination ticket permitting entrance to Tosho-gu (Ieyasu’s tomb then costs an additional ¥520) and the nearby Futarasan and Rinno-ji temples.

      

6 Mount Fuji and Hakone

      Japan’s most iconic sight, now a World Heritage Site

      Whether you catch a fleeting glimpse of the near perfectly symmetrical dome through a train window or watch in wonder from Tokyo as her snow-capped peak appears far to the west through the city smog, there’s something mesmerizing about Mount Fuji (known in Japan­ese as Fuji-san).

      Maybe it’s the way Fuji-san dominates the vista as she straddles the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka. At 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), she is comfortably the nation’s tallest peak, and with no other mountains nearby, Fuji-san stands fully visible from sprawling base to narrowing peak. Her influence on Japan has been profound. The peak has inspired countless artists and integrated herself into both Shinto and Buddhist traditions. The legendary ukiyo-e woodblock printmaker Hokusai (1760–1849) was so smitten that he dedicated much of his work to capturing Fuji’s changing moods. His woodblock series, 36 Views of Mount Fuji, includes the celebrated Great Wave Off Kanagawa, whose snow-capped Fuji in the distance and giant foaming wave menacingly poised to break in the foreground is recognizable to anyone with a passing interest in Japan.

      In Shintoism, the peak of the now dormant volcano is home to a fire god and, despite its naked lunarscape, a goddess of trees. In Buddhism, Fuji is home to Dainichi Nyorai, the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom. Consequently, pilgrims have journeyed to Fuji’s peak for spiritual enlightenment for centuries. Fuji-san’s symbolic power was reputedly even recognized by the Allied authorities in World War II. According to one tale, they planned to bomb Fuji’s white cap with blood red paint in order to break the Japanese spirit.

      The best way to enjoy Fuji-san up close is to visit the Hakone area (page 39), a popular weekend retreat for Tokyoites because of its natural hot springs, fine inns, mountain vistas СКАЧАТЬ