Top places to visit in Nikko

• Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura

  Cultural · about 4 h · entry JPY 5,800

  Edo-period theme park with costumed ninja and samurai shows, old-town streets and hands-on experiences.

• Futarasan Shrine

  Temple · about 0.8 h · entry JPY 300

  Ancient shrine (8th c.) dedicated to Nikko's sacred mountains, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Ryuzu Falls

  Waterfall · about 0.8 h

  "Dragon's head" waterfall where the Yukawa River fans over rocks into Lake Chuzenji, superb in autumn.

• Tosho-gu Shrine Complex

  Temple · 4.8 rating · about 3 h · entry JPY 1,300

  Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine complex, Tosho-gu is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan in 1603. The 1636 complex is a UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece of Edo-period craftsmanship: 15,000 workers and…

• Kegon Falls & Lake Chuzenji

  Nature · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h · entry JPY 570

  The Irohazaka mountain road's 48 hairpin curves climb 440 m above Nikko to the plateau where cobalt-blue Lake Chuzenji sits beside Japan's most spectacular waterfall: Kegon-no-taki, a 97-metre sheer drop fed directly from the lake. An…

• Rinnoji Temple & Taiyuin Mausoleum

  Temple · 4.6 rating · about 1.5 h · entry JPY 400

  Rinnoji is a Tendai Buddhist temple complex at Nikko dating to 766 AD — one of the oldest and largest in eastern Japan. Its main Sanbutsudo (Three Buddha Hall) houses three 7-metre gilt bronze Buddha statues. Adjacent Taiyuin is the…

• Shinkyo Bridge

  Heritage · about 0.5 h · entry JPY 300

  Vermilion sacred bridge over the Daiya River marking the entrance to Nikko's shrine district.

• Kanmangafuchi Abyss

  Nature · about 1 h

  Riverside gorge lined with a row of weathered Jizo stone statues (the "Bake Jizo").

• Senjogahara Marshland

  Nature · about 2 h

  High-altitude marsh plateau with boardwalk hiking trails and alpine flora, part of Nikko National Park.

• Akechidaira Plateau

  Viewpoint · about 0.8 h · entry JPY 1,000

  Ropeway-accessed observation deck overlooking Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji and the Irohazaka switchbacks.

• Yudaki Falls

  Waterfall · about 0.8 h

  25 m cascade at the outlet of Lake Yunoko above the Senjogahara marsh.

Things to do

• Nikko Shrines & Waterfalls Guided Day Tour Cultural · 6 h · from JPY 5,600 per person
• Toshogu Deep-Dive Shrine Tour Tour · 2.5 h · from JPY 5,000 per person
• Senjogahara & Chuzenji Hike Hiking · 5 h · from JPY 8,000 per person
• Nikko Yuba-Making Class Experience · 1.5 h · from JPY 4,000 per person

Day trips and tours

• Nikko Shrines & Kegon Falls Full Day from Tokyo 9 h · from JPY 11,100

Where to stay in Nikko

Hotels

• The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko 5-star · JPY 90,000 to JPY 200,000 per night
• Nikko Kanaya Hotel 4-star · JPY 22,000 to JPY 55,000 per night
• Turtle Inn Nikko 3-star · JPY 7,000 to JPY 16,000 per night
• Nikko Station Hotel Classic 3-star · JPY 12,000 to JPY 24,000 per night

Where to eat

• Meiji-no-Yakata Western, French · about JPY 3,500 per person
• Hippari Dako Japanese, Yakitori · about JPY 1,200 per person
• Gyoshintei Kaiseki, Vegetarian, Japanese · about JPY 5,500 per person
• Sanfield Nikko Yubamaki Japanese, Yuba · about JPY 1,000 per person
• Nikko Coffee Gyochaya Cafe, Japanese · about JPY 1,500 per person

Getting around

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Train main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

More in Japan

• Tokyo
• Kyoto
• Osaka
• Hakone
• Hiroshima
• Kamakura