Today is my 3rd adventure around the Tokyo area

and today I'm taking you to one of my favorite places, to Nikko!

I just went to the information center over there

and bought this: The All Area Nikko Pass!

It's a pass that gives you access to the ropeway, special discounts, entry into different attractions

so I'm gonna check these out on the train

and figure out where we should explore next.

Okay, so we made it to Nikko station.

The all area pass has almost everything included in it,

except for into Toshogu Shrine, the 3 monkeys shrine.

So if you wanted to see the three monkeys shrine you'd have to buy a ticket,

which you can do easily in English using the ticket machine over there.

in English at the automatic ticket machine

It's too windy outside to ride the boat

but if you were to ride the boat you can use the same pass to ride it as many times as you want

and this is the window you would go to

but because of the weather and crazy wind

we're going to skip that and try something else for today.

So there's a pier on the same lake that lets off at the

at the Italian and British embassy memorial parks.

I read that there's a Diplomat named Sir Ernest Satow.

I think that's how you pronounce his last name.

He was one of the first diplomats in the Meiji Restoration.

He's almost kind of like the original YouTuber,

he basically scoped out the area before a lot of other

diplomats and other people came to Japan,

built a family and a life here and didn't go back home

until his 25 years of work here were done.

All of his letters, his articles and the work that he did here

showed other people the beauty of Japan and that it was ok to come here

after Japan opened up with the Meiji Restoration.

This is the site of one of the original buildings and supposedly one of his favorite places to be.

I can see why, the view is amazing!

Good evening! I'm having a beautiful French style dinner.

French flair on Japanese cuisine.

We're having a full course of fish, sweet potato soup,

there's a fish-based dish that has the “senjogahara” theme,

it's like the ancient battle field where the two mountains nearby where battling.

There's a local theme to the fish dish and then

it's French so, Filet de Beuf, bean salad,

a dessert, coffee and some wine! Cheers!

French bread check….

Oh yeah. This is good!

So the next course is a steak with a red wine and a beet sauce.

Along with some sweet potatoes, onion, broccoli…

Mmm! I have no words.

My words are taken by the delicious flavor.

Good morning, everyone! Welcome to a beautiful Day 2 in Nikko.

After eating dinner I stayed here in Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel.

It's a really cool building, I've never seen a place like this.

It's almost like a mountain lodge or something like that. It still has Yukata and onsen as well.

Old western meets Japanese onsen relaxation style.

For the rest of the day I'm going to keep up this old west meets Japanese theme.

I should probably pack up and hit the road soon.

[FILMED WITH SPECIAL PERMISSION]

Welcome to Toshogu Shrine.

Recognize these 3 monkeys?

A lot of people think this place is about the 3 monkeys,

but it's actually to protect horses.

Toshogu is a must-see stop in Nikko.

A lot of people think it's because of the three monkeys over there

think it's because of the three monkey sign in the three monkeys over at the

but in reality what this area is really known for is the shrine back here,

which is to memorialize one of the biggest shogunate in Japanese history: Tokugawa Ieyasu.

So the name looks similar but this is the Nikko Kanaya Hotel.

There's a special menu item you can try here: it's curry!

Curry is very popular across Japan and there are different styles,

but this one has a very specific recipe that goes all the way back to the Taisho era.

This hotel was built in the 6th year of the Meiji era, which makes it about 1873 in western time.

Since then they've taken the recipe and made it their own with coconut milk, etc.

Let's give it a try!

First there was a smoothness, the curry flavor,

and then the sweetness which I assume is the coconut milk.

There's something floral in there dancing at the top,

and then the heat at the end.

It kind of kicks you in the back of the throat.

It has a good heat that balances everything at the end.

This curry has a lot to say! I like it.

Oh yeah, I'm a fan.

There's a famous wall that points out all the names of famous people who stayed at the hotel.

We need to get on the train in about one hour,

but I wanted to check out this place that's been on my bucket list.

Tobu World Square.

Do not be fooled!

This is not the real Skytree. It's been scaled down---

oh! I see a pocket sized Tokyo Tower over there!

That is an accurately packed train!

Game time guys! I could pick up each little person.

New York and Tokyo, 10-second walk, no plane ticket. This is my dream.

This is Horyu-ji, in Nara. But this is the first time I've seen Nara with no deer inside.

Where are the deer?! Are you in there?!

Where are they!?

Yakushi-ji Temple. This is still Nara, still not deer.

Nijojo, castle from Kyoto.

Not too many tourists today!

Guys, it's Kyoto but I found there deer. There!

It's in that Kanji. There's the deer.

Train's here guys, it's time to go!

So time is up for this adventure in Nikko and it's time to head back to Asakusa in Tokyo.

If you have any questions about the places I visited or want ideas of what you can do in the city,

let me know in a comment below!

Thanks so much for watching. I'll see you next time, bye!