Nikko Toshogu Shrine —A combination of the cultural and natural heritage

Looking for an ancient shrine with exquisite decorations on the walls to relax?  Nikko Toshogu Shrine(日光東照宮) in Japan would be a perfect place.  As a final resting place for Tokugawa Ieyasu(德川家康), it features luxurious pagodas, meaningful statues and a solemn gate.

It was said that after Tokugawa Ieyasu won a critical war, he built lots of gorgeous architectures here to highlight his power.  He also mixed some eastern philosophic signs in the ornament in order to keep him from indulging in the victory too much.

The most famous example for the signs are these three hilarious monkeys.

They're so cute, aren't they? They represent a well-known principle,  “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.  Although I have known them, I still laughed out loud when I actually saw them in person, because their facial expressions are too funny to make people relate to  the deep meaning of their gestures.
After understanding the cultural meaning of it, let's enjoy the beautiful scenery around the shrine!  Explore it by clicking the following film!