A Day in Narita Town

I don't think many people visit Narita Town. I mean, why would they? Narita is close enough to Tokyo that the airport is pretty much just known as "Tokyo Airport". Most travelers take the Narita Express train directly to downtown Tokyo or to the bullet train station for the exciting start of their Japan holidays. That's what I did both times I visited before.

On my way back to Bangkok from my visit in the USA, I ended up with a 24-hour layover at Narita Airport. So after leaving immigration and finding my way to Terminal 2, I checked in at the "9-Hours Narita Hotel" for the night.

Despite its name, I stayed for the full night. They supplied me with a fluffy towel, pajamas, slippers, and a toothbrush. After a full day of wide-awake flying from DFW to Narita via Seattle, I was ready to sleep at 6pm, and after a nice shower and a Family Mart "sandoichi", that's what I did. I curled up in my comfy little capsule and quickly fell asleep to the white-noise sound ofcrashing waves that was playing softly from my pod.



Tokyo capsule hotel

The next morning, feeling refreshed but with nearly a full day until my flight, I decided to take the train into Narita Town to explore a bit. After breakfast at an airport café, I hopped on the JR train for the ten-minute ride into Narita.

shrine at Narita Mountain

I asked the tourist information office at the airport for suggestions. They told me that there was really only one thing to do in Narita, and that's to visit Narita-San (Narita Mountain), which is the site of Shinsho-ji, the New Victory Temple. It was just a short walk from the station.

Shinsho-Ji Temple

The temple was a brisk climb up a steep set of steps going up the small mountain, and I was a bit winded by the time I got to the top. Luckily the spring weather in Japan was still cool, and it was early in the day. After a good night's sleep and some morning exercise, I wouldn't really feel the effects of jetlag after returning to Thailand.

Peaceful morning at Narita Mountain

The temple complex was much bigger than I thought it would be! I didn't expect much from Narita, since it's just the airport town and nothing more than a footnote in a typical guidebook, but the temple was actually really cool! There were a number of shrines and pagodas, and the complex itself dates back to the year 940! Besides that though, I enjoyed the walks along the beautiful trails up the mountain. There were a handful of other tourists enjoying the morning as well.

A big pagoda

On my way back to the airport, I stopped in a McDonald's to use the WiFi. Looking to order the cheapest thing off the menu, I also got to use the one Japanese phrase that I'm confident I know: "Kohi-o onegai shimasu"... I would like a coffee! Before going to Japan last year, my friend Ryan and I tried to learn some Japanese. That's the only phrase we really got down.

Looking out from the observation deck

Back at the airport, it was getting on to late afternoon, so I headed to one of my favorite spots at Narita airport - the rooftop observation deck. I've sat here for at least a few minutes each time I've flown to or from Narita. It was cool and windy, and there were a number of tables and chairs set out, though not many other people were there that day. I ordered a box of takoyaki (octopus balls) to go, and took them up to the roof for a late lunch.

Takoyaki for lunch

And then it was time to go. There was nothing left to do but check my luggage, pass through security, and take some photos of myself looking silly at the "Free Cultural Experience" near my gate.



I'm back in Thailand now. It'll probably be a while before I pass back through Japan, so I'm glad I got this little mini-stopover to have some fun and rest between the two long legs of my flight. Sayonara, Tokyo!

Nikko 日光

It was cold and rainy (again) on our last full day in Japan, and it just got colder as we sped northwards and deeper into the Kanto Region on an older-model but warm and comfortable Tohoku-line bullet train.

An hour later we switched to the Nikko Express, a small tourist train, just a few cars long, which took us on a slow, but scenic one-hour ride to Nikko.

Shinkyo Sacred Bridge

Nikko is an old town. Though the population is small, the town is home to a disproportionate number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A short walk through the charming village brought us to the path towards the town's most famous sites.

Nikko is in the north of Kanto, and fairly high in the mountains. The sakura blossoms which had been beautiful in Kyoto and in full bloom in Tokyo hadn't yet even started to bud. The cherry trees were still dead and bare. Fog clung to the cold, damp streets, and a thick verdant moss grew on every rocky surface. Nikko was quiet, still, cold, and damp. It was still winter, yet it was beautiful.

dark moss grew on every rocky surface

Deep in a pine forest, we found our way to Tosho-gu Shrine, an ancient and serene holy place constructed in the chilly hills above Nikko. It's biggest claim to fame however is as the site of the original "Three Wise Monkeys" (hear no evil; see no evil; speak no evil), in the form of a carving on the side of one of the minor shrines.

Nikko had a rich ancient feeling about it that's difficult to describe. The temples and shrines feel connected in a deeper sense to the quiet peacefulness of the land than did those in Kyoto. Maybe it's to do with the season in which we visited; winter has passed, but it's not yet spring. In fact, we saw a few patches of snow still hiding in the shadows in some of the deeper parts of the woods. Despite the small crowd of tourists, the place felt quiet.

Low on cash, and without an ATM to be found, after visiting a few temples and shrines, we looked for a free site to explore. A fifteen or so minute walk out of the town brought us to the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, a gorge formed by an eruption of Mt. Nantai, through which the icy Daiya River rushes. The abyss is lined with seventy-odd "Ghost Jizo" statues, images of the Buddhist protector of children. It was admittedly a bit eerie. Local legend says that the exact number of statues is impossible to know, as it changes each time one tries to count them...

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

Kyoto offered culture. Osaka gave us food. Tokyo was the "big city". Nikko was different. This was a place of beautiful untouched nature and rich history. The "ghosts" watching over the abyss are all clothed in dark red knit caps and bibs or scarves. I've heard different stories about this. One source said that expectant parents will knit these caps to pray for children. Another said they are placed their by caretakers or monks.

Nikko might have been my favorite of the four cities we visited (well... five, counting the morning in Himeji). I love Kyoto, of course, but Nikko felt in a way less "touristy". It was farther north than anywhere else we had been, and the landscape and even the culture felt markedly different from that of Kansai or definitely Tokyo. Maybe next time I'll explore further north still, possibly to Tohoku or Hokkaido. In a way, I'm starting to miss the cold, spending most of my year in the tropics!

Daiya River