Nikko: A Japanese National Treasure!

Tuesday morning Jim and I, and our fellow Brand G vacationers, left Tokyo for a day trip to Nikko and environs. We first stopped at a gorge with Buddhist statues before arriving in Nikko. Nikko features the shrine and grave of Tokugawa Ieysu, founder of the powerful Shogun-ruled period that gave Japan greater peace and stability. His grandson built many ornate shrines that combine elements of Japan's two major religions, Shinto and Buddhism. The great monuments are majestic like the surrounding tall cedar trees. Lunch Followed at the Kanaya Hotel, where such visitors as Eleanor Roosevelt and Einstein had stayed in the 20th century. A tour of a sake brewery completed our excursion before the bus returned to the Palace Hotel in Tokyo. - Dan