A full day trip from Tokyo by the Spacia X: Shinkyo Bridge and the carved shrine of Toshogu in the morning, a yuba lunch, then up the Irohazaka hairpins to Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji. Best May to early November; autumn colour peaks mid-October up high, early November in town.
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- 7:50 am 1Spacia X from Asakusa to Tobu-NikkoTokyo
The first Spacia X leaves Asakusa at 7:50 and arrives 9:39; a standard seat is ¥3,340 (¥1,400 fare plus ¥1,940 surcharge), reserved. From Shinjuku, the JR-Tobu through limited express Nikko takes about two hours. The cheap way is Tobu rapid trains, about ¥1,400 but slower. Reports agree: take the earliest train, because tour coaches reach Toshogu by eleven.
53 min by train or taxi · 117 km - 9:55 am 2Shinkyo, the sacred red bridgeNikko
A lacquered 1636 bridge over the Daiya river at the gateway to the shrine area, about five minutes by bus or 25 on foot from the station. Walking on it costs about ¥300; both travellers' reports say the photo from the road bridge beside it is free and just as good.
9 min walk · 650 m - 10:30 am 3Nikko Toshogu: the carved shrine of the shogunNikko
Tokugawa Ieyasu's mausoleum shrine, dripping with gold leaf and colour. Find the three wise monkeys on the stable, the Yomeimon gate, the sleeping cat over the passage, and the 200 steps up to the tomb. ¥1,600; open 9:00 to 17:00 April to October, to 16:00 November to March. The old combined ticket with Rinno-ji and Futarasan is suspended, so pay each separately.
5 min walk · 400 m - 12:15 pm 4Yuba lunch in the shrine townNikko
Nikko's speciality is yuba, the thick skin lifted off simmering soy milk, served as sashimi, in soba or simmered sets. Many shops around the shrine approach and the main street offer yuba set meals for about ¥1,500 to ¥2,500.
3 min walk · 100 m - 1:15 pm 5Bus up the Irohazaka hairpinsNikko
Tobu buses climb 48 numbered switchbacks to Chuzenji Onsen in about 45 to 50 minutes. A Tobu round-trip bus pass to the lake has been around ¥2,000; check the current price at the Tobu-Nikko tourist centre, or buy the Nikko Pass All Area if you also want the lake cruise. On October weekends the road jams for hours: reports say go up first and do the shrines in the afternoon instead.
14 min by train or taxi · 8.6 km - 2:10 pm 6Kegon Falls from the basin platformNikko
Lake Chuzenji pours out over a 97 m cliff. The free upper viewpoint is fine, but the elevator drops 100 m through the rock to a platform facing the plunge pool, about ¥600 return. One traveller found it touristy; the view from the bottom is still the reason to come.
8 min by train or taxi · 2.2 km - 3 pm 7Lake Chuzenji's shore and Mount NantaiNikko
A high volcanic lake under Mount Nantai, 1,269 m up, so bring a layer. Walk the shore west from the bus terminal, or take the 55-minute lake cruise (spring to autumn; covered by the Nikko Pass All Area). The last buses down leave around 17:00 to 18:00, earlier in winter.
13 min by train or taxi · 13 km - 5:30 pm 8Limited express back to AsakusaNikko
Book the return Spacia or Revaty seat in the morning when you arrive; evening trains fill up in leaf season. About ¥3,340 with the surcharge.
53 min by train or taxi · 116 km - 7:45 pm 9Stew and a beer on Hoppy StreetTokyo
Five minutes from the Tobu station, a lane of open-fronted izakaya with plastic stools on the street, serving gyu-suji beef stew, skewers and Hoppy (a beer-flavoured mixer with shochu). About ¥2,500 to ¥3,500.