How to Visit Nikko’s Temples and Waterfalls (Tokyo Day Trip)

When you research day trips out of Tokyo, there are a handful of sleepy fishing villages and rural towns, but I was looking for a little more than that to merit the journey out of the city. I was pleasantly surprised when I focused my searched instead on Japan’s natural beauty, and found the remote town of Nikko. This balanced out the rest of my Japan itinerary and is the perfect escape from the city.

Why Visit Nikko?

Perched on the edge of a national park, Nikko has unparalleled access to hiking trails around Lake Chuzenji through mountains and past some of the best waterfalls in the country. The town also boasts a complex of temples and shrines that are UNESCO world heritage sites. The sites are completely different architecturally than what you’ll find throughout the country and really harness the magic of blending into the natural surroundings.

How to get to Nikko from Tokyo

So how do you get to this unique little town? It’ll take a few trains. We had the JR pass which covered the route we chose to use. Remember it will be a little cooler in weather so check out my Japan outfit roundup for more guidance on what to pack. We took the JR Tohoku Shinkansen (catch it at Tokyo or Ueno station) to Utsunomiya station and transferred there to the JR Nikko Line.

There are employees at the station that will help you make the tight connection by guiding you to the next train, which is very comforting! The one way trip takes about 100 minutes, which is pretty much the fastest you’ll get there.

There are more direct ways (depending on where you are staying in Tokyo) using the Tobu line, but it then becomes an expensive journey that could take much longer.

Arriving in Nikko

Once you get there take advantage of the plentiful personnel at the station assisting tourists to get the correct bus pass to depending on the sights of interest and time you have in the area. You’ll definitely need to get one to get up the mountain and it helps when you are tired of walking up and down the hilly terrain.

Must See Sights in Nikko

We started by purchasing our passes then walking up the Main Street, where we made more than a few stops at bakeries, an ice cream shop, and an artist studio. The street ends at the beautiful Shinkyo Bridge and the path up the mountain into the national park and UNESCO site area.

While all the temples are worth exploring, if you were to pick one I would suggest the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine complex. Then take the bus up to the lake to see Kegon Falls. 

There’s a few shops and restaurants once you get up there, so you are not completely isolated if you get hungry like we did at this point. There are also more trails and buses that will take you farther into the national park if you have more time here.

We had to catch our train back to Tokyo, so we started heading back, but we were so glad we didn’t miss exploring Nikko. You won’t regret it either!

If you want to a local guide while in town, check out this highly rated tour.