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National Geographic : 1960 Dec
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It is not difficult to understand this en thusiasm once you have crossed the incredibly beautiful vermilion-lacquered Shinkyo Bridge or looked up at the Yomeimon Gate of the famous Toshogu Shrine. It should be garish, this explosive blend of gold and crimson. But somehow it settles into its background of pine branches as if it had been there forever, in stead of a mere 300 years. If man-made things of beauty are not what you seek, Nikko still offers a multitude of attractions. Lake Chfizenji, more than 4,000 feet above sea level, stretches its serene ex panse of blue water in a mountain setting for canoes, rowboats, and small yachts. There are excellent golf links and tennis courts, and the mountain paths are gentle and perfectly tended. So clean are the walks that even a stray pine needle calls out to be picked up. One feels constrained to speak in hushed tones, so peaceful is the atmosphere. Utsunomiya is the capital of Nikko's Tochigi prefecture. In its suburbs is a tower ing 88-foot statue of Yoya Heiwa Kannon, the goddess of mercy and peace, and it seems fitting that she preside in such an atmos phere. So fitting, in fact, that I was shocked, standing at her feet, when my guide urged me back into our taxicab. "We'll have to hurry," he said, "because you have an appointment in half an hour to see the Fuji Heavy Industries plant." "What do they make?" I queried. "Jet planes," my guide said proudly. 751 KODACHROME(BELOW) AND ANSCOCHROME© NATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY
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