Nikko!

Beautiful right? This is Shinkyo (Sacred bridge, or 神橋) in Nikko. [Side note: Haha...I've figured out how to type in Japanese on my laptop!]

It is the first day of my parents’ and my Japanophile Uncle Jack’s 12-day visit. They took a train to Nikko after arriving in Narita and I drove to Nikko to meet them. The weather was good – sunny but cold. Somehow temperatures ranging from 3-7 deg do not exactly feel like autumn.

We took it easy for the first day (also because I arrived at 1pm!). Just walked around, soaked in the inn’s onsen before going for dinner.

Random scenic shots

Before going to Nikko, I never saw any mention of a signature food item for Nikko. But after spending 3 days in Nikko, I can say with confidence that Nikko’s speciality food item has got to be yuba (pronounced you-ba). It is basically like bean curd skin (something like the tow kee we have back home). Every menu I flipped through had yuba listed on it. And they prepare it in a variety of ways – roll it up like a large sushi roll before slicing it or smaller single loose pieces. It is also cooked in many ways - steamed, fried, with soba, in soup, and even in green tea jelly as a dessert! It's yummy!

More on Nikko coming up...