Area Characteristics
The city of Nikko which is located in northwest Tochigi Prefecture is Japan’s symbolic international tourist destination. It is the country’s 3rd-largest municipality at 1,450km2（560mile2）which is about as big as the Greek World Heritage island of Rhodes（1,401km2＝541mile2）. Along with the Nikko Mountains, which were established as a holy site for mountain worship in 782, there is plenty of nature in the area including lakes and onsen on the one hand with historically famous temples and shrines on the other, with the area being designated as a World Heritage site in 1999 as the Shrines and Temples of Nikko.
Major Sites
The sightseeing highlights are the World Heritage sites of Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji Temple. Within Nikko National Park, there is Senjogahara, Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. Along with the theme parks of Nikko Wonderland Nikko Edomura and Tobu World Square, Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park is also popular.
Cuisine
The famous dish is the much-appreciated Nikko yuba (tofu skin) as an example of vegetarian cuisine. Along with the yuba dishes which use the high-quality water flowing from the Nikko Mountains, sake, soba and wasabi are also famous. There is also sake cake, deep-fried yuba manju buns and yokan bean jelly as ideal souvenirs.
Transportation
One easy route is taking the Tohoku Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo Station to Utsunomiya in about 50 minutes, and then getting on the JR Nikko Line for 42 minutes before reaching Nikko. Although there are not that many runs, there is also the direct special express Spacia train operated by Tobu Railways from Asakusa and Shinjuku which takes 1 hour and 45 minutes so that is also a good option. Bus and rental car are mainly used for sightseeing within the city. There is also the Marugoto Nikko Tobu Free Pass which provides unlimited travel on trains and buses in the Nikko area. If you plan to use a rental car, please be advised that along with driving on the mountain roads, Golden Week, the O-Bon holidays and the fall season will be crowded with traffic jams and long searches for parking areas.
Accommodations
There are many accommodations with the Nikko Station area being most convenient. Oku-Nikko which includes Nikko Yumoto Onsen is also popular. Hotels are also available in the Lake Chuzenji area.