DISTANCE: 128km (80 miles) north from Tokyo to Nikko; walking tour: 3.5km (2.25 miles)
TIME: 1 or 2 days
START/END: Shin-kyo Bridge
POINTS TO NOTE: Although Nikko is accessible by JR trains, most people come here on the Tobu-Nikko line from Asakusa in Tokyo; in Nikko the JR and Tobu stations are beside each other. Tobu’s Spacia limited express takes 1 hour 55 min, the cheaper kyuko service an extra 15 min. If you opt for the latter, be sure to sit in one of the first two carriages, as some of the trains divide at Shimo Imaichi Station, the stop before Nikko. If you are planning to include a visit to Lake Chuzenji, buy the All Nikko Pass (¥4,520); for details about the pass and train times, see www.tobu.co.jp/foreign. In Nikko frequent local buses from the train stations allow you to skip the 20-minute walk up the town’s somewhat shabby high street towards the shrine complex.
An onsen (hot-spring) resort in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Nikko is best known as the location of the Tosho-gu shrine and mausoleum.
There’s an information desk (daily 8.30am–5pm) in Tobu Nikko Station, while the main tourist office (www.nikko-japan.org; daily 9am–5pm) is midway along the main road from the station to Tosho-gu.
Tosho-gu
The shrine Tosho-gu was built to honour Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan around 1600 and founded a political dynasty that lasted for over 250 years. Some 1,500 craftsmen and artists were brought to Nikko for a period of two years by Tokugawa Iemitsu, Ieyasu’s grandson and the third shogun. The shrine was completed in 1634 to a mixed reception. Some considered it to be a fitting tribute to Japan’s greatest shogun; others regarded it as a gaudy extravagance, more expressive of Chinese Tang-dynasty tastes and too much of a deviation from the simple, understated design of most Shinto shrines. Regardless, the complex received Unesco World Heritage Status in 2004 and is always inundated with visitors.
X Shin-kyo, the Sacred Bridge that marks the entrance to Tosho-gu
Chris Stowers/Apa Publications
Shin-kyo Bridge
Marking the entrance to Tosho-gu’s grounds is the vermilion-painted Shin-kyo 1 [map] (Sacred Bridge; 9am–4pm; charge) over the Daiya River. In former times, only the shogun and imperial messengers were allowed to cross the wooden bridge, which is best viewed from the road rather than close up.
Rinno-ji
Cross the road from the bridge and follow the steps of a path that winds up to a statue of Shodo Shonin, the priest who founded Nikko more than 1,200 years ago when the mountains in this area were honoured as gods. Close by is the site of Rinno-ji 2 [map] (daily Apr–Oct 8am–4.30pm, Nov–Mar 8am–3.30pm; charge), a temple which Shodo founded in 766. The temple’s main hall, the Sanbutsu-do, enshrines three huge wood-carved and gilded statues: a thousand-armed Kannon, the Amida Buddha and a horse-headed Kannon. A separate ticket gains you entrance to Rinno-ji’s Treasure House and Shoyo-en, a classic, landscaped stroll garden that was completed in 1815.
The Tosho-gu temple complex
Chris Stowers/Apa Publications
Exit Rinno-ji onto broad Omotesando, the main approach to Tosho-gu’s original stone torii gate. A five-storey pagoda stands to the left, an example of how Buddhism and Shinto are blended here. Ascend another set of stone steps and pass through Omote-mon, Tosho-gu’s entrance gate (daily Apr–Oct 8am–4.30pm, Nov–Mar 8am–3.30pm; charge), to reach the area containing the sacred storehouses and stable, and the carving of Three Guardian Monkeys 3 [map] in their famous pose, ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. The next terrace contains stone lanterns donated by daimyo (feudal lords) from all over Japan. A large revolving bronze lantern, with the Tokugawa family crest mistakenly engraved upside down, is a gift from Holland, the only country in the 17th century allowed limited diplomatic and trade relations with Japan.
Three Guardian Monkeys
Chris Stowers/Apa Publications
Yomei-mon
The lavish gate Yomei-mon 4 [map] stands at the top of a short flight of steps to the upper terrace. Carved and gilded with more than 400 images of flowers, dragons, birds and Chinese sages, it is also known as the Twilight Gate because of the risk that you will become so mesmerised by it that you will spend the whole day there. To the gate’s left, behind a drum tower, there’s the Honji-do, famous for its huge ‘roaring dragon’ ceiling painting. If you stand under its head and clap, you will hear the dragon roar.
Ieyasu’s Mausoleum
Having passed through the Yomei-mon, most visitors turn right and continue up to Ieyasu’s Mausoleum. As you leave the shrine, look out for a small carving on the lintel. This is the sleeping cat (nemuri neko) carving, which has become Nikko’s mascot.
In contrast to the flamboyance of the shrine, there is a more sacred air to Ieyasu’s Mausoleum 5 [map] (charge), surrounded by cryptomeria trees and reached by 200 steps.
Futarasan-jinja
Retrace your route to the exit of Tosho-gu, bear right at the pagoda and walk along a path lined with stone lanterns to reach the grounds of Futarasan-jinja 6 [map]. Dedicated to nearby Mount Nantai, the simplicity of this red, lacquered shrine and its pleasant garden is a welcome relief after the highly accomplished but ostentatious shrine of Tosho-gu. You can enjoy a bowl of macha here, the frothy green brew made during the tea ceremony. The grounds of the shrine contain a famous bronze bakemono toro (phantom lantern), cast in 1292. According to legend, the lantern used to roam the shrine precincts at night, terrorising its night watchmen.
Taiyuin-byo
Just beyond the Futarasan Shrine is the attractive Taiyuin-byo 7 [map] (daily Apr–Oct 8am–4.30pm, Nov–Mar 8am–3.30pm; charge), the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu. It’s intentionally less ostentatious than Tosho-gu and usually a lot less crowded.
Lake Chuzenji to the west of Nikko
Getty Images
Nikko Tosho-gu Museum of Art
From Taiyuin-byo return to Omote-mon and, facing away from Tosho-gu, take the left path leading to the Nikko Tosho-gu Museum of Art 8 [map] (Nikko Tosho-gu Bijutsukan; Apr–Oct 8am–5pm, Nov–Mar 8am–4pm; charge). The collection of painted screens and sliding doors, housed in a wooden building erected in 1928, is one of the finest exhibitions of its kind in Japan.
Meiji-no-Yakata
Next to the museum are the grounds of Meiji-no-Yakata 9 [map], an early 20th-century Western-style holiday villa. It now houses several restaurants including, to the rear of the main building, the vegetarian Gyoushin-tei, see 1. Alternatively, it’s a short walk back to the Shin-kyo Bridge and main road, along which you will find both the historic Nikko Kanaya Hotel and the simple eatery Hippari Dako, see 2.
Lake Chuzenji
A visit to Lake Chuzenji (Chuzenji-ko) and the spectacular Kegon Falls (Kegon-no-taki), located 10km (6 miles) west of Nikko, is highly recommended. The lake is reached via the Iroha Slope, a road with scenic views from a series of hairpin bends, each one named after a different phonetic character in the Japanese alphabet. Both Chuzenji village and the tiny hot-spring resort of Yumoto, located on a plateau surrounded by mountains a short distance from Lake Chuzenji, offer plenty of accommodation should you wish to stay here and enjoy the spectacular scenery and natural surroundings. The bus ride up to Lake Chuzenji from Nikko takes 50 minutes. However, in autumn the journey can take up to three times longer.
Entry Charges
The ¥1,000 nisha-ichiji combination ticket sold at booths outside Rinno-ji’s Sanbutsu-do and Tosho-gu’s Omote-mon will save you some money. It covers entry to Rinno-ji, Futarasan Shrine and most of Tosho-gu. Add ¥520 if you wish to tack on entry to see Tosho-gu’s sleeping cat carving and Ieyasu’s Mausoleum.
Places to Stay
Founded in 1873, the venerable Nikko Kanaya Hotel (1300 Kami-Hatsuishi-machi, Nikko; www.kanayahotel.co.jp) has long been the abode of choice for visitors to Nikko. The same company operates the luxurious and more modern Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel overlooking Lake Chuzenji and 2km (1.25 miles) away from the tourist village. Both hotels have good restaurants and cafés.
Food and drink
1 Gyoushin-tei
2339-1 Sannai; tel: 0288-533 751; daily noon–8pm; ¥¥¥
Behind the Western-style restaurant Meiji-no-Yakata is this traditional place where you sit on tatami mats and gaze at a lovely garden while eating a shojin-ryori vegetarian banquet.
2 Hippari Dako
1011 Kami-hatsuishicho; tel: 0288-532 933; daily 11am–7pm; ¥
On the main road up to the Shin-kyo Bridge is this eternally popular café, serving noodles and yakitori (skewers of grilled chicken) and plastered with the business cards of thousands of visitors.
