Approximate Total Time:
4 hours round trip travel time on the Tobu railways from Asakusa, Tokyo
4 hours – 4 and 1/2 hours at Nikko
Walking Distance:
Total walking distance is around 4-5 km which includes walking up to Tōshō-gū from the station, then, covering temple grounds on foot. I returned to Nikko Station by bus.
Model Walking Route:
On this model route, the main shrines and temples of Nikko are covered. Some areas can be skipped if pressed for time. Admission ticket for Tōshō-gū and Sleeping Cat is 1,300 yen. If you have more than two hours in Nikko, get a combination ticket for 1,000 yen to cover Tōshō-gū (excluding Sleeping Cat), Futarasan-jinja, Rinnō-ji and Taiyūin. To see Sleeping Cat in addition costs 520 additional and may not be worth the extra fee.
Late October through November is the peak season for this area and weekends are always crowded. You may want to adjust walking time accordingly and make sure you have a returning train reservation.
Nikko Station
↓
Shin-kyō Bridge
↓Notes: If you get to Nikko around noon, there are some restaurants offering yuba or soybean curd lunch,↓soba, and okonomiyaki along the way between the station and the Shin-kyō bridge.
↓For Wednesdays and Thursdays, some restaurants are closed.
Rinnō-ji (30 min)
↓Notes: Tour of Sanbutsu-dō is offered regularly and three Buddha statues are very impressive.
↓Without the tour, you can go through inside the temple in less than 30 min.
↓No photography is allowed inside.
↓ Notes: Very nice quiet garden. Exhibition at the treasure house is very small, but good size to digest.
☆Tōshō-gū (60 min – 90 min at least)
↓Notes:Impressive, must see place to see early Edo period architecture with famous wood carvings.
↓Sleeping Cat and entrance admission to the Okusha or the tomb of Ieyasu Tokugawa is
↓additional 520 yen if you ↓have 1,000 yen combination ticket. It’s a bit of a hike up to the tomb
☆Treasure House (20 min) 500 yen admission even if you have 1,000 yen combination ticket
↓ Notes: Nice, small exhibition of mementos of Tokugawa Ieyasu, such as his swords, armor, and official ↓appointment letter.
Futarasan-jinja (20 min)
↓ Notes: Very peaceful.
☆Taiyūin -byo (40 min or more)
↓ Notes: 3rd Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu’s mausoleum. It is very quiet in here and quite interesting to see
↓different type of architecture from Tosho-gu. You will see colorful statues of various deities by the gates
↓throughout. I would not miss this spot.
Nikko Station by bus or taxi
Cost:
For this model walking course, total admission is around 2,300 yen.
Round trip from Asakusa to Nikko is 5,480 yen per person using Tobu Limited Express, which is the best choice if you travel without the Japan Railpass.
Food:
For lunch, there are some restaurants on the way to the shrines and temples complex.
References:
Snapshots of each location can be found at this English site run by the city:
http://www.city.nikko.lg.jp/kankou/shaji/english/main.htm
The tourist information center has very detailed on-line English guide
http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/index.html
Other:
Toilets: All locations have western style toilets.
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