One of many issues I really like most about Japan is how concurrently huge and small it’s. Geographically, it doesn’t cowl an enormous space, however all you’ll want to do is hop on the Tokyo Metro or Shinkansen or perhaps a native prepare, in some instances, comparable to while you take a Nikko day journey from Tokyo.
Even when you solely journey a number of stations, you get off and also you’re on a completely totally different planet. Or, as is the case while you journey from Tokyo to Nikko, in a completely totally different time.
A UNESCO World Heritage web site that dates again over a millennium, Nikko is legendary in more moderen Japanese historical past as the house of Seventeenth-century Shogun Tokugawa, whose dying want was to be enshrined as a God there. This want, as you will note instantly upon crossing the Shin-kyo bridge into outdated Nikko, was carried out.
The place to Keep if You Prolong Your Nikko Day Journey
I like to recommend taking a Nikko Japan day journey, but it surely’s a stunning place to spend an evening (or longer!) when you’ve got time in your Japan itinerary. Whether or not you keep on the boutique Nikko Senhime Monogatari or the finances Hotori-an, you’re positive to really feel proper at dwelling in Nikko.
But another choice could be to spend the day in Nikko, then head additional north into the mountains of Gunma prefecture and spend the evening at Takaragawa Onsen, which some (yours really included) argue is the very best onsen in Japan. You may additionally go tremendous high-end in Nikko, and ebook a room on the Ritz, which is on the shores of Lake Chuzenji.
Learn how to Spend Your Day (or Longer) in Nikko
Cross a sacred bridge
Upon arriving in Nikko from Tokyo, I normally make a beeline for Shin-kyo, whose title actually means “Sacred Bridge.” Having existed in its present incarnation since round 1636, the bridge is the official entrance into the historic a part of Nikko for me, though it’s a must to navigate via the extra trendy city heart (whether or not by way of bus, or if it’s good, on foot) to get there.
Get misplaced amid an historical shrine
From right here, I normally proceed my Nikko day journey by heading up the hill to Tosho-gu, a Shinto shrine based within the early Seventeenth century. Positioned on a hilltop and large in its expanse, that is the place the vast majority of day trippers from Tokyo spend everything of their time in Nikko—and with good motive. Throughout the shrine advanced, probably the most picturesque locations embody the Gojunoto five-story pagoda, the Sleeping Cat Shrine and the dramatic, cedar-lined paths that join these two distant factors of the shrine.
BONUS: It’s at this level in my Nikko day journey that I normally like to sit down down for yuba (tofu pores and skin), town’s most well-known culinary delight, although whether or not or not you accomplish that is completely as much as you!
Be a visitor at an imperial residence
After you go to Tosho-gu, head again all the way down to Shinkyo bridge (and stroll throughout it, when you haven’t already) and discover extra deeply. One possibility, which is strolling distance from the shrine exit, is to go to Tamozawa Imperial Villa. In-built 1899 for the Emperor Taisho, its most infamous current use was as a hideout for Emperor Hirohito throughout World Struggle II. You may additionally select to hike alongside Kanmangafuchi Abyss, or sit all the way down to eat locally-made yuba, aka tofu pores and skin.
Hike alongside a turbid abyss
Irrespective of the place in Japan I see them, red-capped jizo statues all the time hang-out and intrigue me. Amongst my favourite locations to really feel this vitality can be Kanmangafuchi, a so-called “abyss” that’s really simply an particularly quick part of the principle Daiya River that flows via Nikko. That is particularly lovely in fall, when fiery maples appear to echo the yarn of the statues’ hats, however is attractive any time of 12 months.
Admire a waterfall tumbling out of a lake
Whereas really digging into Nikko Nationwide Park from Tokyo is a tall order, you will get a really feel for simply how wild the character in town’s doorstep is. My favourite manner to do that is by getting a bus as much as Akechidaira, which in my view is Nikko’s finest viewpoint. Right here, you’ll be able to see Kegon Falls thundering exterior of Lake Chuzenji, which itself (particularly, its superlative Chuzenji Onsen) is a vacation spot in and of itself.
Learn how to Get to Nikko from Tokyo
Whereas there isn’t (technically) a Tokyo to Nikko Shinkansen, you’ll be able to journey the bullet prepare to get right here. Particularly, you’ll be able to journey a Shinkansen Yamabiko or Nasuno from Tokyo or Ueno to Utsunomiya, the place you’ll take the JR Nikko Line the remainder of the best way to Nikko. That is the popular technique to get to Nikko utilizing a JR Go, though you need to word that this move is now not an excellent worth after October 2023, when its value went up considerably.
Certainly, probably the most wise Tokyo to Nikko prepare route is by driving the direct Tobu Nikko Line from Asakusa Station. Whether or not you journey a restricted categorical prepare just like the Revaty Kegon (or the newer, extra luxurious Spacia X), or just take a neighborhood Tobu prepare, this lets you journey from central Tokyo (properly, northeastern Tokyo) to Nikko with none transfers.
Different FAQ About Visiting Nikko from Tokyo
Is Nikko price a day journey?
Nikko is completely price a day journey! Whether or not you merely make the jaunt from Nikko Station to Tosho-gu, or journey deeper into the wilds of Tochigi prefecture and go to Kegon Falls, Nikko feels a world away from Tokyo (regardless of being simply 90 minutes from the capital).
What number of days do you want in Nikko?
Most vacationers go to Nikko on a day journey from Tokyo, however in actuality you can spend a few days right here. It is because that along with well-known Tosho-gu Shrine (the place you can simply spend a whole day), Nikko is dwelling to wild nature comparable to Kegon Falls. Furthermore, Nikko is the gateway to northeastern Japan, whether or not you go to onsen within the mountains of Gunma prefecture, head west into the Japanese Alps, or northward into the Tohoku area.
Is Nikko a day journey from Tokyo?
Nikko is a straightforward and fashionable day journey from Tokyo. To achieve Nikko with a JR Go, journey the Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno to Utsunomiya, then switch to the native JR Nikko Line. When you’re paying money, journey the Tobu Nikko Line (ideally, a Spacia or Revaty Kegon Restricted Categorical) from Tobu-Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko.
The Backside Line
Contemplating a day journey from Tokyo to Nikko? Nikko is likely one of the best and most fulfilling day journeys from Tokyo—Nikko is completely price visiting! Whether or not you merely discover the Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine or enterprise into outlying areas like Nikko Nationwide Park to marvel at Kegon Falls or Lake Chuzenji, a day journey from Tokyo to Nikko is likely one of the most illuminating methods to interrupt up the times you spend in Tokyo. Nikko can be a superb place to remain in a single day when you’ve got time. Wish to guarantee your subsequent journey to Japan is one for the document books? Rent me to plan it!