What Does This Mean???!!!

Don't ask me how, but I came across a post about this Blog in Japan.  I think it might be famous over there and maybe you have heard about it.  It is a Blog from a guy who posts a picture of the same vending machine - every single day (or at least every day that he works).  He is on his 6th year in a row now I think, and lives up in Hokkaido.  Are you aware of this?  Do you know what it means???  Some may write this guy off as crazy or bored.  I think there is more to it than that.  I think this says something about Japan.  What, I am not sure.  I am still contemplating it all and seeking meaning.  Maybe my friends can help me.  Here is a picture of the machine in it's current state.

Of course on almost all days, the picture stays the same, as the contents of vending machines rarely change.  However, he also posts pictures of the same machine on the same day of the year for the past 4-5 years!  But on the rare day when something is moved or replaced, in addition to the picture of the machine like above, there is another picture below which shows the changes like this one.

Five years.  Every work day without fail.  So to my deep thinking Japanese friends (and you know who you are), please tell me what this all means.  There is something special here I believe.  Attention to detail, which the Japanese are very famous for of course comes to mind.  I think this is a great Blog.  I don't know why.

Oh, in case you do NOT know about this Blog, it can be found here:  http://jihan.sblo.jp/

Nov. 2010 Trip - Post #2: "Arrival and Day 1"

It was with great anticipation that I ventured out to Narita to pick up my wife from her inbound flight from Los Angeles.

After a safe trip over, we went back to our Shinagawa Hotel for an early evening.  The next day while I worked, my wife was lucky to be in the very capable hands of my friends Kayo and Momo who took her to dinner.  They made an excellent choice to ease her into the world of Japanese cuisine - the T.Y. Harbor Brewery on Tennoz Isle.  This "gastropub" is a very nice restaurant and microbrewery located on one of the inlets of Tokyo Bay.  It can be seen here, in a very early photo I took in December of 2001.

On this night, Momo and Kayo made my wife feel very welcome to Japan, and they enjoyed a nice dinner together, along with one or two of the house beers.

After dinner, we joined up for a game of bowling in the infamous Shinagawa Prince Lanes.  While the bowling was not the best, the company certainly was and we enjoyed it immensely.

To cap off the night, we had a drink at the top of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel.  All in all a very good first day for this very special trip.

"Country Home" Post Earthquake/Tsunami Update

I have been told that all the employees of Country Home up in Tagajo, along with their families are all ok.  In fact, it seems Country Home will OPEN temporarily THIS WEEK!!!  This is great news!!!  I will hopefully get a picture soon and share it.  In the meantime, best of luck to the Master and Ken-chan to get up and running again.

Oh and one more thing, the restaurant's name is Furusato.

"Every Picture Tells a Story"

This is the title of a famous song by Rod Stewart, and oh how true it is.  They also say a picture tells a thousand words.  So it is with this theme in mind that I share with you the so very important picture below which I received just yesterday.  This is not just a picture, but rather it is a story, a story about living, about recovering, and about the need to share conversation and good times with friends.

This picture was taken recently inside of Cha-Cha's, the snack bar in Tagajo that suffered severe damage from the earthquake and tsunami.  As previously stated, the Cha-Cha's Master plans to rebuild his shop.  Before he undergoes this serious endeavor which will take a number of months to complete, he invited some friends into his damaged shop to enjoy some food and drink and conversion.  It warmed my heart greatly to see this picture, and to know that life goes on, and rebuilding is happening.  I very much look forward to being in this shop again, and to thanking the Master and his family for having the courage and strength to carry on, and to rebuild.

One of the Craziest Sushi Nights Ever

Some time ago (December of 2003 actually!), there was a memorable sushi dinner held at one of the Sushi Dai restaurants near Tsukiji that I would like to share with you.  It was probably the craziest sushi dinner that I can ever remember.  We had a group of around 10 co-workers that night, and it turned into a virtuoso performance of comedy by one of my good friends Federico.  To set the stage, our friend Tak had made a reservation for this private sushi room.  Tak was friends with one of Sushi Dai's chefs,  Nara-san.  We were to have Nara-san prepare the meal in our private room, and here he is ready for us that night.

The sushi at Sushi Dai is always first rate in terms of quality, and that night was no exception.  In addition, the skills of Nara-san were very evident, as he prepared our meal in exquisite fashion.

Everything proceeded along quite normally until right near the end, when my friend Federico suddenly got up and disappeared out of the room.  Moments later, there he was BEHIND the sushi counter, trying to communicate with Nara-san despite the obvious language barrier.

I think Nara-san was stunned by this sudden intrusion into his private space.  He probably never received this kind of treatment from his normal Japanese customers.  Then, Federico became more animated, and took Nara-sans hat and started handling some of his tools.

I think we made some jokes that Federico was crazy "mafia", and thus Nara-san needed to be careful.  We couldn't stop laughing with each more bold move by this wonderful Italian man.

Just when you think it couldn't get any crazier, it did.  In this next picture, you can see Federico wrapping up Nara-sans face like he was a piece of tomorrows Toro.

In the end, I think it is amazing that we didn't get in any kind of trouble.

This was a fantastic evening and another incredible memory from Japan.  It came thanks to the brilliance of Federico, the skill, patience and good sport of Nara-san, the gastronomic smarts and connections of Tak, and the great company of all of my co-worker friends.  I will never forget that night at Sushi Dai, and I doubt anyone else who was there will forget it either.

Understanding Ramen

Back in September of 2004, my good friend Yoshi took me to down to Shin-Yokohama to visit the Ramen Museum there.  Yoshi knows I am a very big fan of ramen, and therefore thought this would be a great place to visit the day I arrived in from the States.  It was also a memorable excursion for me because the day happened to be my birthday.

There are many things to know about Ramen.  I couldn't possibly begin to fully understand all of the subtle differences and regional twists.  What does stick out, is the Chinese origin, and the fact that Instant Ramen, developed in 1958 by  Momofuku Ando of Nissin Foods was chosen as the invention of the century in a poll of Japanese.

The museum itself is quite an impressive design, and in fact it is just as much a work of art as it is a museum.  It is themed after Japan in the 40's or 50's, and the ambiance of the inside structures (as seen in the pictures) along with the audio background they play over and over gives one a sense of going back in time for sure.

Scattered throughout the entire design are various Ramen shops from all over Japan.  They are changing all of the time so there is typically always something new.  It is quite difficult to try them all, or even some of them, so I would suggest buying the half portion bowls that are available.  In another life, wouldn't it be fun to own your own Raman cart, and to have a dashi that is sought out all over Japan?  What a nice dream that would be!  Thank you Yoshi for taking all of the great pictures!!!

Understanding Edo

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of spending a Saturday in Tokyo.  One of the activities chosen on this particular day was to visit the Edo Museum in Tokyo.  The contemporary architecture of this impressive building near the Ryogoku Station is in contrast to the exhibits of years past held within.  Upon entering, you have to cross an incredible life size recreation of an old wooden bridge.

The interior is incredibly spacious with a very high ceiling allowing the museum to hold huge exhibits within.  We rented for a nominal fee an English language recorder that guided you through most of the sections.  It was very helpful.  It is really incredible to see how a great city like Tokyo originates.  Aren't you curious?  I still can't believe Tokyo can actually work it seems so complex.  How they run all the electric lines, sewer lines, water lines is beyond me.

Anyway, I would recommend to anyone interested that they should visit this museum.  Learn about this great city!

Stories from Tampopo - "Mrs. Green"

I have posted in the past about one of my favorite little snack bars in Kita-Shinagawa named Tampopo.  Tampopo is a place where things happen.  Fun things.  Interesting people converge to sing songs and enjoy the company and atmosphere.  Today, in honor of the Japanese National Holiday "Midori no Hi" or "Greenery Day", I would like to share with you just one of the beautiful people who I have met at Tampopo.  Her name is appropriately enough, "Mrs. Green".

I met Mrs. Green a number of years ago during one of our infamous late night sessions at Tampopo.  She was a regular there.  A middle aged woman who came alone, she obviously enjoyed singing a song or two, taking a drink or two, and maybe in between it all, dancing with some of her friends.  What's not to like about that?!

During subsequent visits to Tampopo, I would see Mrs. Green (who does not speak English), and we would share a hug, and maybe after the right number of drinks, a dance.  It was all good fun, and Mrs. Green certainly enjoyed it all.

My favorite story about Mrs. Green was on a certain trip on my last night in Japan, I decided to go to Tampopo with a friend for a final night of fun.  We got there late - maybe 11:30 p.m., but the place had it's small number of participants there and the mood was good.  We put in a few songs, and had a few drinks, and I was starting to get a little tired.  Then, in walks Mrs. Green, who promptly sits down at the counter bar, orders a drink, fires up a cigarette and proceeds to tell those around her that she just came from a dance contest (which she won).  I looked up at the clock on the wall.  It was 12:30 a.m., and Mrs. Green was just getting started.

We extended our own party to accommodate Mrs. Green of course, and I had another great final night in Tokyo.  What a wonderful world, with wonderful people!

Another Tagajo Gem

In Tagajo, nearly right across the street from the famous "Cha-Cha's", sits another very small restaurant that deserves its own post.  The English translation of this restaurant (whose Japanese name escapes me) is "Country Home".  Country Home sits in a small alley which contains various other businesses, some of whom through the years have come and gone.  The infamous "Orange" bar is one of them (that sadly is gone).  This alley in my minds eye resembles a NASCAR garage of sorts, where the various racing teams might keep their cars.

Country Home like Cha-Cha's, is known for it's very kind Master, as well as it's casual setting.  It is comprised of a small counter bar, and just two dining tables where you cook your own food on a grill (Korean BBQ style).  Over each grill hangs do it yourself looking suction fans that never seem to be able to accommodate the serious amount of smoke that invariably results at the peak of cooking.  The walls (as well as the exterior front) are a very interesting faux log cabin wood design, which I guess gives you the feeling of being in the country.

We have had a number of memorable and very enjoyable times/meals at this cozy place.  It is a classic "local" hangout, that a tourist would likely never find or even if they did, venture into. The food is good, the drinks are cool and refreshing, and the company is always the best.  My kind of place.

Sadly, I am sure the Earthquake/Tsunami spent their time at this great restaurant.  I am seeking updates on the status of Country Home, and will report back when I get this information.

Nov. 2010 Trip - Post #1: "No Guts, No Glory"

I want to begin to post about probably the most meaningful and enjoyable trip I have made to Japan in the last 17 years.  The reason it was so special was because it was the first time I was able to take my wife with me, something I have wanted to do for a very long time.  To make this trip successful, so many of my very beautiful friends in Japan realized the significance of this trip, and went out of their way to assist me in my efforts to make my wife feel so comfortable, and to see and enjoy the beauty of Japan as I have had to good fortune to do for so many years.  You people know who you are, and I just want to say thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart!!!  How can I ever repay you for such a priceless gift you have given me?

Before we get into the details of our travels together, the story actually starts BEFORE her arrival.  I arrived a day earlier due to logistics requirements, and therefore spent the first night with a couple of my close friends discussing last minute details of the following weeks plans.  In order to get off on the right foot, my friends chose a special, new restaurant for me.  The specialty was "guts".  This small shop, run by a very capable Mama-san, is located in Shingawa, in a very old building it shares with one (or two?) other restaurants.  This is what it looked like as we approached.  The shop we went to is actually to the left side of this building beyond view.  The neon of course drew me in like a moth to a light, as it usually does!

My culinary expert friends selected a number of very unique dishes, which were obviously prepared with much skill.  Two of them stood out in my mind.  The first, was a scrambled egg dish that was mixed with some kind of green vegetable.  The flavor was absolutely fantastic.  It was actually my favorite dish of the night, and I could have easily eaten the entire plate all by myself.  It is on the left side of this photo.

The other memorable dish, seen at the very top of the photo above, was a guts dish, but what made it special is that it was raw.  Raw guts.  Now that will challenge most Gaijin, and probably even a few Japanese??  It was "interesting", and the flavor and texture were certainly not that bad.  Here is a blurry close up.

It was great to see my friends again that first night.  We had a very good conversation, and the plans were set for the week ahead.  I was so eager to start this historic (for me) trip.  More posts will follow on this particularly wonderful journey!

Cha-Cha's Post Earthquake/Tsunami Update

Well if you are reading this blog, you saw an older post of one of my favorite little snack bars in Tagajo called Cha-Cha's. Ever since the earthquake and tsunami, I have been concerned about all of my Tagajo friends and favorite places as you can imagine. Cha-Cha's, and it's very kind Master, are certainly on that list.

Well it gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Master of Cha-Cha's and his family are all ok (as well as all of my other friends in the Tagajo area thankfully!!!). Unfortunately the same cannot be said for his shop. It received considerable damage from the earthquake and tsunami.

 

Despite this set back, I have heard that the Master plans to rebuild and open his shop once again.  I wish him the best of luck, and promise to support him as soon as I return to Tagajo!!!

Godzilla Cannot Do It Alone

I recently came across this video, which I am guessing is from a television commercial in Japan from the Japanese Red Cross. I think it is pretty creative. Most of you I am sure have donated if you are able to the cause of helping to support those in Japan who are in great need at the present time. If you have not, and are reading this, please do whatever you can. Godzilla cannot do it alone! Domo arigato gozaimasu!!!

Making the Tohoku Region Proud

Being the golfer that I am (or perhaps try to be), a couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of watching on T.V. with great interest the final Sunday round of the Masters tournament.  Aside from being possibly one of the greatest Masters finishes ever, the tournament was noteworthy for the very strong and timely performance given by first year amateur player Hideki Matsuyama.  Matsuyama is a sophomore student at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai.  He made the difficult decision to fly to the U.S. to play in the Masters not long after the terrible disaster hit Japan.

His performance was first rate, as he was the only amateur golfer to make the cut, thus assuring him of winning the Silver Trophy, given to the low amateur finisher each year.  He birdied the final hole on the last day, giving him a 1 under par finish for the tournament on the very demanding Augusta National layout.  During the post tournament televised awards presentation, he was obviously a very fine young man who represented Japan, and the Tohoku region incredibly well.  We obviously have not heard the end of Matsuyama-san in the golfing world.  Here is a video of his beautiful and powerful swing during one of the Masters practice rounds.

Finally I would just like to mention we are seeing many great young Japanese golfers finding success in our U.S. tour.  Most notably recently one of the big names is of course Ryo Ishikawa.  I want to say how impressed I was to hear that Ishikawa-san has donated ALL of his 2011 Tour earnings towards the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami relief.  How impressive!!

Rebuilding Northern Japan, One Station at a Time

Unlike any other country I have had the privilege to visit, Japan as a nation lives and breathes by their unrivaled train system.  It really is amazing to watch the precision of the Japanese trains, where delays of even one minute can start to make some people uncomfortable.  You can set your watch by the trains, and it is a very dependable means of getting around, either for business or for pleasure.

When I first started visiting Japan in 1994, I always took the Limousine Bus from Narita to my hotel in Tokyo.  I think this was just out of American habit, and I guess also because most people felt it was easier.  After a year or two, I tried using my now favorite train (inbound only, NOT outbound), the Narita Express  to see the difference.  I have stayed with this beautiful train ever since.  More reliable, no traffic jams, and more comfortable.  Oh did I mention you can also purchase a beer on it too if you are thirsty?  It helps if your hotel is very close to a station, which mine has usually been.

When I watch the rebuilding going on in Japan, I am gauging a big part of it on the resumption of train services.  Tokyo was able to cover their brief period of train outages very quickly (a must of course).  Other areas in the north have been slower to restart.  So it is with great pleasure that I saw the other day that Narita Express service, suspended after the March 11th earthquake, has been resumed.  This will make it easier for Narita travellers to get to and from the capital city.  In addition to this, the Tohoku Shinkansen is slowly rebuilding their services north.  At the moment, you can get from Tokyo to Fukushima.  On Monday, the line will reopen to Sendai.  By April 30th, it will be completely connected, and you can take it all the way to Shin-Aomori on the northern tip of Honshu.  This is fantastic news and a great sign of recovery in the north.

Our Senseki Line Train at Matsushima-Kaigan in Nov 2010

The good news does not stop there.  For my friends  in Tagajo, the local Senseki Line is a critical people mover.  It reopened service a few weeks ago from Sendai eastward to Kozuru Shinden.  Today, April 19th (in Japan), the line is now open all the way out to Higashi-Shiogama.  This may seem like a trivial thing, but in this area, it is a fantastic piece of news.  I congratulate JR East for their hard work in reopening all these lines, and hope they are able to continue with this fantastic pace of reconstruction!!!

In Search of a Better Tomorrow . . . . . .

March 11th, 2011.  A date which will forever be recorded in the history books in Japan, as well as the rest of the world.  My life changed on this date, along with that of many of my friends.  I have been thinking about people and things in Japan since that fateful day, and have been wanting to put out a post to capture my thoughts and feelings.  I have read so many comments on this disaster, most of which are so well written, that I think I cannot possibly say anything that will have any real meaning.  The situation is just too large to fully grab a hold of.

Immeasurable suffering.  Unforgettable video and pictures.  And the stories keep coming and coming.  Unlike many natural disasters, this one is far from over.  The "natural" part might be ending (although continued aftershocks must surely test the nerves of even the most hardened survivors), but the disaster is far from played out thanks to technology that we have created.  The only thing that appears certain at this moment at Fukushima Daiichi is that the chess game with our invisible enemy is currently stalemated, and it now seems fairly certain that 6 months to even 1 year may be required to fully stabilize the situation.  After that, Toshiba promises us a 10 year clean-up.  All that is left to assess is the final "exclusion zone", and the short and long term effects on health as well as our food chain.  With this now certain, the Japanese all prepare themselves in their own ways for the long battle ahead.

In this historical event, one thing has shown clear to all those around the world who are watching (and yes they most certainly are all watching).  It is something that I found out 17 years ago.  That is the incredible strength, the incredible dignity, the incredible resiliency and the incredible respect within the Japanese people.  In terms of "civilization", the Japanese are the true leaders of the world.

My relationship with Japan changed on March 11th.  I am eager to return to start a new relationship with a new Japan.  One that has resurrected itself from a great tragedy and is different, yet in many ways still the same.  I have changed too.  I will try not to take anything for granted anymore.  Even the simple things.  A hot shower.  A nice meal.  A friendship.  A safe flight.  I will see you soon Japan.  Ganbaro Nippon ne ka?  Hai!  Ganbaro Nippon!!!

Do you know the "Cha-Cha"?

Cha-Cha:  noun.  A fast, rythmic ballroom dance of Latin-American origin with a basic pattern of three steps and a shuffle.

In Tagajo, a small suburb of the million population city of Sendai in northern Japan, there is a very special snack bar called Cha-Cha’s.  It is one of my favorite places to go when visiting this area.  When one walks down the street from Tagajo station during the day time, you can find Cha-Cha’s if you look very closely as a very non-descript, somewhat old, small two story building.  What strikes you when you see it is that there are large metal shutters that are pulled down that completely hide what lies inside.  It is frankly not a very appealing site.  In fact, one look at it at this time of the day and you would probably never want to go there when it was open.  Thanks to the knowledge of some of my very astute co-workers, I was taken to Cha-Cha’s during the night time after dinner, to relax and have a few drinks.  I was amazed at what this placed looked like after dark.  The shutters are rolled up to reveal a very nice, clean brightly lit bar with tables that is very appealing  to the eye.

Inside you quickly find out what makes Cha-Cha’s so special.  They have a Master (pictured above along with his son) and a Mama-san who have known my co-workers for many years.  The result is a hospitality that is extremely nice and welcoming.  Aside from the assorted drink and snacks available, Cha-Cha’s also has a Karaoke system for those who want to use it.  They have a regular clientele from the neighborhood that loves to have a good time, and have been typically very engaging each time I have visited.  The Master at Cha-Cha’s also has another wonderful talent – he is an artist.  Many of his original paintings can be found on the walls and I hear that his work studio for this hobby can be found upstairs.  I have had many a good time at Cha-Cha’s thanks to the friendliness of the staff as well as my friends.  I would strongly recommend a visit if you ever find yourself in the Tagajo area!

I'm Back!!!

Well it has been quite a long time since my last Blog post, and I am a bit sorry for the large gap. No excuses, just priorities and some kind of strange lack of fundamental motivation. The beauty of the Blog though is it is still here, ready to be added to at any time. No time constraints, no problems. That’s nice.

So I would like to use this first new post to say a little something about the (relatively) new picture that I have inserted into the title bar of my Blog. It is a beautiful painting of Old Satchmo, otherwise known as Louis Armstrong, along with his well known trumpet. Aside from the fact that I think it is a really cool painting and one that fits in so perfectly with my Blog title, it was actually painted by an old University dorm mate, a guy by the name of John McCloy. I have not seen John since that one year we lived in a UCLA dorm together (on the same floor) over 30 years ago (yikes!), but through the powers of the modern day computer social networking sites I have re-established communication with him through e-mail. We all knew in the dorm that John was a very talented artist and musician. It is really neat to see that over 30 years later he is still utilizing these talents. Aside from his painting of Louis Armstrong (which he gratefully allowed me to use on this site), John has many other paintings of famous musicians, along with some examples of his songwriting and musical skills on his web-site which can be found at http://www.johnmccloy.com. One small world thing I found out about John upon reconnecting with him was that he came to UCLA that fateful year after spending his four years of High School at the American School of Japan in Tokyo!!! Now that is kind of an interesting coincidence don’t you think? Here is one other painting that John did of the famous U.S. musician from the 1960’s Jimi Hendrix. Very cool stuff – thanks John!!!!

Lightning Strikes at 36,000 Feet - TWICE!!!

During a recent trip to Denver, Colorado, I decided for the first time in my life to use Frontier Airlines, a small regional U.S. air carrier.  One of the nice benefits of flying Frontier, is that they have small T.V.’s in the seat backs of every seat, and you can watch live television from many, many different channels.  As fate would have it, exactly during my flight time Japan’s World Cup soccer team was facing off against Denmark in pool play.  What a stroke of luck I thought, as I watched intently this very important match for Japan.  And then BOOM!!!!!  - Lightning struck in the form of this:

And then BOOM!!!!! – Lightning struck again!!!!

I will never forget that Frontier flight. Of course Japan went on to win 3-1 and thus qualified for the knockout stage. Well done Japan!!!

"It Tastes Like Chicken"

In the U.S., there is kind of a famous saying that goes, “It tastes like chicken”.  You use this saying when you encounter any type of meat that has a neutral taste and you cannot describe it any other way.  The reason is the taste of plain chicken, without any sauces or spicing is a neutral tasting meat.  It doesn’t really have too much of any specific flavor.  Do you get it?

So the background of this post is this.  I do not watch much T.V., with the exception of sports of course!  However, one T.V. show that I like is “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations”.  It is a 1 hour show where Mr. Bourdain goes to various places in the world to describe some key elements of a country or regions cuisine.  He always has the assistance of a local, who helps him find the “cool spots”!  He did one most excellent show on Osaka, and another fantastic one on Tokyo.  It was in the Tokyo show, where there was a segment of him visiting a small local restaurant that specialized in chicken.  The restaurant was appropriately called “Toriki”, which in Japanese means chicken.  So I watched this show and thought hey I like chicken and that looks like a cool place to go to.  I want to find it and try it!!!  Here is a video on the Toriki segment on “No Reservations”.

During a conversation with a couple of our Tokyo office staff, I asked them about this place.  To my shock, they said they know it, and in fact they go there somewhat frequently.  So we made plans to visit on my next trip to Japan.

So we made it over to Toriki, which I must say would be a bit challenging for me to reach on my own, as it is not on one of the main line trains.  That being said, it is still a very short hop from Shinagawa station if you know the train system well enough.  Toriki is a small place, and we had a really nice dinner there with many different parts of the chicken.  I even tried the “chicken sashimi” which in the U.S. would probably cause a restaurant to be shut down by health inspectors!  It was fantastic, but my most favorite dish was the “house special” chicken called "Tataki" which came with a piquant, green colored sauce that you pour over the chicken.  It can be seen in the video above.  Wonderful stuff, and I want to go back to this place again!!!

The Significance of "Nikko"

Years ago I was lucky to visit the Japanese city of Nikko for some sightseeing.  Nikko is a city approximately 90 miles to the north of Tokyo, but it is really much more than that.  Initially built around temples during the 8th century, Nikko today is most famous for the shrine “Nikko-Tosho-gu” which was completed in 1617.  This shrine is dedicated to the founder of the famous Tokugawa Shogunate – Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his remains are kept here.  This makes this place very special in the history of Japan, as it represents a very spiritual place for the Edo period of Tokugawa rule.

There are incredible buildings at Nikko, with extremely detailed hand carvings that are painted in bright colors.  I can’t imagine the time it must have taken to make all of these carvings.  Unfortunately our time at Nikko was limited, and we did not get to walk up to the grave of Ieyasu.  Maybe some other time!?

Nikko-Tosho-gu is a very special place, and I recommend visiting it if you get the chance.  It can be reached by train (of course!).