Tokyo Off the Beaten Path Tips by Zhuoqi

Only an 1 1/2 hours from central Tokyo is Kamakura, one of Medieval Japan's capitals. The modern town is littered with beautiful temples, shrines, and historic treasures and makes a great escape from the bustle of Tokyo. One of its most famous monuments is the Daibutsu shown here. This elegant bronze Buddha was once house in a temple, but that was washed away by a tidal wave centuries ago.

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Nikko makes a great day-trip from Tokyo. Located in the mountains to the north of the city, the Nikko area houses both wonderous temples and a relaxing national park. The temple area hosts the most boisterious--even outrageous--examples of Japanese architecture to be found. The towering ceders encompassing the area make a deep visual contrast with the ornate features of the buildings. The national park nearby has lofty waterfalls, inspiring forests and fields, and lots of deer to play with!

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One of the more controversial sites in Tokyo is the Yasakuni Shrine. This terrifyingly large Shinto shrine is a monument to Japan's war dead. That would be fine and all, except that it also venerates numerous Class A war criminals from WWII and serves as a focal point for Japanese nationalists. When I went there, I was 'fortunate' enough to see a lovely art display, including oil paintings on such subjects as the bravery and glory of the kamikaze pilots (shown here), dead soldiers united with the Sun Goddess, and others. The Shrine also houses a war-atrocity-denying mueseum and even publishes wonderful brochures (in Japanese only) detailing how oppressive American forces stopped Japan from nobley liberating its Asian neighbors from colonial oppression. Uh-huh.

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