Travel plan for first timers in Nikko

You can start your tour from either JR Nikko Station or Tobu-Nikko Station. It’s handy to take the Tobu bus over to the Tosho-gu Shrine. Just get on the bus headed for Chuzen-ji Onsen/Yumoto Onsen at the stop in front of the station and get off at Shinkyo Bridge (about 10 minutes). See Shinkyo Bridge, known as the gateway to the holy area of Nikko. The vermilion bridge standing amid nature is impressive. Also enjoy the wonderful view of the mountains and Daiya River from the bridge.

Visit Rinno-ji Temple which is a part of the “Shrines and Temples of Nikko” registered as a World Heritage site. Tour through Sanbutsudo (Three Buddha Hall) where the three Buddha are enshrined and the Edo Era Japanese garden, Shoyo-en. ＊Currently, Sanbutsudo is being renovated but a special observation route, Tenku Kairo, has been opened so that you can see it from above. This is an unusual view that can only be seen now.

Head for Tosho-gu Shrine, Nikko’s largest landmark. Tour at your leisure Yomei-mon Gate which has been dubbed Japan’s most beautiful gate, the gorgeously decorated corridors and the rear shrine which is the final resting place for Ieyasu Tokugawa. Take a break for lunch following the tour. In the surrounding vicinity, there are restaurants serving the Nikko specialties of soba and yuba (tofu skin) so that you can enjoy the taste of the local area.

Tour Futarasan Shrine which is the oldest building in Nikko. Old cedar trees soar up into the sky and 37 stone lanterns line the sando path to the shrine on your walk as you feel a holy atmosphere. Take the Tobu bus from either “Nishi-Sando” or “Shinkyo” to head back to Nikko Station. You can also walk from Shinkyo Bridge from the nearby Nikko Kaido (National Route 119) back to the station. Enjoy some lively shopping and dining while walking along the route at a famous yokan (sweet bean jelly) shop, souvenir shops, restaurants and tea shops (about a 30-minute walk to Nikko Station).