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Lake Chuzenji and Mount Nantai seen from Mount Hangetsu in Okunikko
Kegon Falls dropping down a sheer rock face
The Sanbutsudo hall of Rinno-ji in the snow
Mount Nantai above Lake Chuzenji in the evening sun
The vermilion Shinkyo Bridge arching over the Daiya River in Nikko

Things to do in Nikko: 8 experiences

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Photo: lumoplank, CC0

Kegon Falls, Chuzenji Onsen, Nikko

Ride the lift down to the foot of Kegon Falls

Check dates and prices

Photo: Geomr~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 1.0

Rinno-ji, Nikko

Stand before the three gilded giants of Rinno-ji's Sanbutsudo

Check dates and prices

Photo: Miyuki Meinaka, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Chuzenji, Okunikko

Follow the shore of Lake Chuzenji under Mount Nantai

Check dates and prices

Photo: Kennosuke Yamaguchi, CC BY-SA 2.0

Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko

Cross the sacred Shinkyo Bridge at the gate to Nikko's shrines

Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0

Nikko sits in the mountains north of Tokyo, where the Tokugawa shoguns chose to be buried among cedar forests. The Japan page covers its centrepiece, the carved shrine of Toshogu. This page covers what surrounds it in the town (the Shinkyo Bridge, the gilded hall of Rinno-ji, the quieter mausoleum of Taiyuin, Futarasan Shrine and the Jizo of Kanmangafuchi) and what lies up the hairpins in Okunikko: Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji under Mount Nantai and the Senjogahara marshland.

8 things to do in Nikko

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The vermilion Shinkyo Bridge arching over the Daiya River in Nikko

Cross the sacred Shinkyo Bridge at the gate to Nikko's shrines

Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko

About 20 minutesNo booking needed

A vermilion bridge that marks the entrance to Nikko's shrines and temples, closed to the public until 1973.

Been there?
The Sanbutsudo hall of Rinno-ji in the snow

Stand before the three gilded giants of Rinno-ji's Sanbutsudo

Rinno-ji, Nikko

45 minutes to 1 hourGo alone or with a tour

Nikko's most important temple, whose main hall holds three huge gold-lacquered statues of the mountains' Buddhist forms.

Check dates and pricesGuided day at Nikko's World Heritage sites
Been there?
The vermilion Niomon gate at the entrance to Taiyuin

Climb through the gates of Taiyuin, the grandson's mausoleum

Taiyuin, Nikko

About 1 hourNo booking needed

The mausoleum of the third Tokugawa shogun, built to echo Toshogu but kept a step humbler out of respect for his grandfather.

Been there?
The main gate of Futarasan Shrine in Nikko

Visit Futarasan, the shrine of Nikko's three sacred mountains

Futarasan Shrine, Nikko

30 to 45 minutesNo booking needed

Older than its lavish neighbour Toshogu, this shrine honours the gods of Mount Nantai, Mount Nyoho and Mount Taro.

Been there?
A row of stone Jizo statues along the Kanmangafuchi path

Walk past the stone Jizo of the Kanmangafuchi Abyss

Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Nikko

About 1 hourFree

A short gorge on the edge of town, carved after an eruption of Mount Nantai and lined by about 70 stone Jizo statues.

Been there?
Kegon Falls dropping down a sheer rock face

Ride the lift down to the foot of Kegon Falls

Kegon Falls, Chuzenji Onsen, Nikko

Half a day from NikkoGo alone or with a tour

The only outlet of Lake Chuzenji drops almost 100 m, and a lift sunk through the rock takes you down to its foot.

Check dates and pricesNikko day trip with Toshogu and Kegon Falls
Been there?
Mount Nantai above Lake Chuzenji in the evening sun

Follow the shore of Lake Chuzenji under Mount Nantai

Lake Chuzenji, Okunikko

Half a dayGo alone or with a tour

A mountain lake 1,269 m up, dammed by Nikko's sacred volcano, where foreign embassies once built summer villas.

Check dates and pricesPrivate day trip to Lake Chuzenji and Kegon
Been there?
The Senjogahara marshland plateau in Okunikko

Hike across the Senjogahara marshland from Yudaki to Ryuzu Falls

Senjogahara Marshland, Okunikko

2.5 to 3 hours of walkingFree

A 1,400 m high plateau of marsh and larch between two waterfalls, crossed by a nature trail along the Yukawa River.

Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Nikko yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Tobu trains run from Asakusa in Tokyo to Tobu-Nikko Station; limited expresses take about two hours, and slower trains are cheaper. With JR, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and change to the JR Nikko Line, about 100 minutes with a good connection; the Japan Rail Pass covers this route but not the Tobu trains.

  • Getting around

    The shrines and temples are 30 to 40 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by bus from the stations. Tobu buses climb to Lake Chuzenji in about 50 minutes and to Yumoto Onsen in about 80. Tobu sells passes that combine the round trip from Tokyo with unlimited buses in the area; the limited express supplement is extra.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, one long day covers the shrines and temples in town. Stay a night, ideally in Chuzenji Onsen or Yumoto, to add Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji and the Senjogahara walk without rushing.

  • When to go

    Autumn colour starts up in Okunikko around mid October and reaches the town in the first half of November; it is the busiest season, with heavy traffic on the Irohazaka at weekends. Lake Chuzenji's height keeps summers cool, and in winter Kegon Falls can freeze almost solid while snow covers Senjogahara.

Questions travellers ask

Can I see Nikko in a day trip from Tokyo?

Yes for the shrines and temples in town: with a two-hour train each way you will have time for Toshogu, Rinno-ji, Taiyuin and the Shinkyo Bridge. Adding Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji in the same day is tight on public buses, especially in October traffic.

Is there a combined ticket for Rinno-ji and Taiyuin?

Yes. A ¥900 ticket covers the Sanbutsudo hall of Rinno-ji and the Taiyuin mausoleum, against ¥400 and ¥550 separately. Toshogu is a separate ticket.

Does the Japan Rail Pass work for Nikko?

Only on the JR route, by Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and the JR Nikko Line. It does not cover the Tobu trains from Asakusa or the Tobu buses around Nikko.

Is the lift at Kegon Falls worth it?

Yes, if you have come that far. The free platform sees the falls from above; the ¥600 lift drops 100 m to a platform at their base, a much more impressive view.

More places in this region

Things to do in Japan

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