Monks, Monkeys & Mountains - Our Trip to Nikko

We drove north to Nikko for the weekend and had a wonderful time there with the girls. Nikko is nestled in the mountains and is best known for its history of the famous Shogun "Tokugawa" and the 17th century Toshogu Shrine built in his honor. We got there late Friday night (took a wrong turn & ended up in the heart of Tokyo but we made it out eventually). That night we stayed at Nikko Park Lodge (thanks to our friends at the hospital for telling us about this family-friendly gem). It's owned by "Zen Ryu" a Buddhist monk who teaches yoga each morning in their beautiful yoga studio (see photos) which I woke up early for and thoroughly enjoyed. That day we drove to Kegan Falls where we saw amazing waterfalls. The girls also found these toy monkeys to wear around their necks that you see them wearing in all the photos (since monkeys are common in Nikko). We did see one by the road on our way home. We also saw a few famous temples & shrines as well as Lake Chuzenji. To get to the lake we had to drive high into the mountains where the Buddhist monks used to live and meditate. We ate lunch then rented a swan shaped paddle boat that fit all 5 of us. This was the highlight of our trip for the girls. They each took turns steering & paddling. That night we came back to the lodge to relax and eat dinner. I had the "Gourmet Vegan Dinner" prepared by "Zen" himself (delicious), the girls had spaghetti and Sean had curry. Afterward we all took a Japanese bath in their private "onsen" which we reserved just for our family. It was a fun "only in Japan" experience. We can't wait to go back in the Fall when the leaves change.