toshogu, nikko

Jenn wanted to check out Nikko, so we hopped the train up to Tochigi and checked things out. The main attraction Toshogu is a series of shrines and cool buildings housing the spirits of The Tokugawa family; the first shogun of Japan Ieyasu, his grandson, etc. It's a giant world heritage site, and despite the lovely random vending machines are power lines (only in Japan?), it's damn impressive. 15,000 artisans labored for 2 years to build an incredible assortment of carved, painted, gold-gilded wooden buildings. Weather managed to stay not rainy, but was lovely muggy and we was dead tired on the train home.