Kegon Falls & Lake Chuzenji, Nikko

After a morning spent on a whirlwind tour of Nikko's World Heritage sites - Toshugu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Futarasan Shrine - and taking my shoes off countless (well, about five) times, I was ready to experience some of the surrounding area's natural beauty.

We decided to take the bus from central Nikko all the way on winding roads up the mountains to Tobu Nikko station (about a 45 minute ride) to view the Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji. But upon arrival at Tobu Nikko, the first order of the day was - lunch! Numerous restaurants and shops lined the main road, so we just picked one at random (based on their "fake food" display).



Lunch took a bit longer than expected due to there being only one cook (the right-most picture above proved prescient), but pretty soon we were walking towards Kegon Falls, the most famous among Nikko's waterfalls. Kegon falls is quite lovely, with the water cascading down from a height of 97 meters, and apparently popular among lonely Japanese youth for suicide attempts. I've seen more exciting waterfalls, especially in Iceland, but it was nice nonetheless.




After a few minutes viewing the Kegon Falls, it was a short walk in the other direction to placid Lake Chuzenji, the highest natural lake in all of Japan formed with the eruption of Mt. Nantai twenty thousand years ago. It was a quiet weekday, the paddle boats were all idle, and except for a lone fisherman there was not a soul to be seen.



The fisherman stood knee-deep on the edge of the lake, his full concentration devoted to the task at hand. From time to time he would cast his fishing line, whipping it through the air in a swift motion, enticing the fish to bite. I never did see him catch any, and eventually left him to his own devices to catch the bus back to Nikko.

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Early Morning Visit to Tsukiji Fish Market

Waking up early while on vacation is something I particularly dislike. Count me in among those firmly entrenched in the camp that likes to sleep in. So, having said all that, why exactly was I waiting on the platform of the Hibiya metro line at 5am, along with countless Japanese salary men and school girls, on a Monday morning?

Well...because a bunch of us decided it would be fun to visit the fish market. What?! Like most people, I prefer to skip the sights and smells of a wet market and just want to devour sliced pieces of sushi on my dinner plate, but this wasn't just your ordinary fish market, but the famed Tsukiji fish market in central Tokyo.

The Tsukiji market, formally known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, and pretty much handles most fish that passes through Tokyo. Crack open any Lonely Planet guidebook, and Tsukiji Market is always in the list of "Japan Essentials". Thus, it has become a popular stop among tourists and foodies who want to witness the early morning tuna auctions, which explains our presence there at such an ungodly hour.



Unfortunately, it has become TOO popular, and tourists have proved to be a nuisance and hazard to the market's fish-cutters and deliverymen going about their daily business. Thus, new security measures have been put in place. Only 140 slots per day are issued to tourists on a first-come, first-served basis, and despite our early arrival, a stern uniformed security guard informed us that we were about a couple of hours too late - all the day's slots had been accounted for.

Tsukiji Market tuna auction video

We had been hanging around just outside the auction area, peeking in at the huge slabs of tuna piled atop a wooden crate on the cold cement floor, while men in identical vests walked around inspecting them and mumbling at each other. Not exactly riveting stuff, but at least SOMETHING was happening, or about to happen. However, the security guard was politely but firmly telling us to get out of there, much to our dismay. (I managed a couple of pictures and a short grainy video though).



Dejected, we trudged back to the outer market which consists primarily of stalls that sell restaurant supplies, groceries, and dried seafood, and of course, small unpretentious restaurants offering sushi over bowls of rice. Since it was breakfast time, and we were at the one place in Tokyo where the freshest sushi is available, T. and I took the opportunity to order a kaisendon (sashimi rice bowl, pictured) at one of the restaurants.

The others, who preferred lighter fare, wound up at a French bakery (a decision that still puzzles me to this day). Definitely one of the most satisfying breakfasts I had in Japan, and at least the meal ensured that all our troubles weren't for naught.




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