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Rinnoji Temple
I have mixed feelings of Rinnoji Temple in Nikko. Yes, the temple made it as a World Heritage site. Yes, the temple is big. Yes, the temple has other locations within Nikko associated with it. Yes, the temple has a nice garden in its grounds. No, the temple does not allow you to take photos of it…
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Blessings from Nikko Toshogu Shrine
Nikko was a place I looked forward to visiting. Unfortunately, as some of you already know from my blog, I had a rather subpar experience with Nikko. When I was in Japan again, I thought about giving Nikko a second chance however destiny seemed to have other plans for me. The day I was en route to Nikko, I ended up not transferring trains so that on a whim, I could visit and experience Sendai. Honestly, I can’t be any happier about that last minute change of plans as Sendai was such a breath of fresh air for me.
As disappointing as Nikko was, I must say that something good did come out of my trip. At Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine, I got blessed by a Shinto priest. More on this in a moment.
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A Fleeting Encounter at the Niomon Gate
Whenever I’m abroad, I always get amused at how we, as people can encounter so many people (strangers) only to see them once. It’s strange how the world works, isn’t it? When I was in Japan, this amusement (or amazement rather) seemed to heighten since there was hardly ever a day that I didn’t hang out on a train filled with people I didn’t know.