Notes from Nikko

Last week saw Japan’s Obon festival, a time at which traditionally many people would take a short break to travel to their home town and honor the spirits of their ancestors. Alternatively, it’s a perfect occasion for a short summer holiday!

The weekend before a friend and I decided to get out of the city for a bit and visit Nikkō and its surroundings. Even though people would keep telling us: “All of this would be so beautiful in autumn when all the leaves are turning golden!” – we still loved to wander amongst the lush forests and peaceful temples in that area.

The Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple was especially fascinating to me. Located on top of a hill near the city and heavily overgrown with moss it had an almost enchanting appearance.

Other than Buddhist temples, Nikkō offers a beautiful scenery all around, with several picturesque waterfalls mountain trails. All in all, a lovely nature getaway – in part exactly because it was not autumn yet and we had a few of these spots to ourselves.