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Nikko

A God's Chosen Country

It is said that if you have never been to Nikko then you don't know the true meaning of magnificent. There is little doubt that the aphorism refers to the stunning Toshugu Shrine, but Nikko is also an area of extraordinary natural beauty.

For the optimal one-day tour start at Tobu-Nikko station with a packed lunch, camera and sensible-shoes. Free maps of the area are available at the information desk, and if you like hiking, a copy of Nikko Yumoto-Chuzenji Area Hiking Guide for 150 yen will give you all the information you need for walking in the Nikko National Park. At the Tourist Information Office near the station, you can also watch videos, in English and Japanese, of people in flares and tank tops enjoying sightseeing activities in Nikko. The short presentations are actually quite informative, despite the criminal fashions.

Long and winding road

From the station take a bus ride up lrohazaka, an amazingly steep, zig-zagging road with 48 hairpin bends, each named after a Letter in the Japanese alphabet. The 50 min ride ends at Kegon Falls, one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan. The Oshiri river, that flows from Lake Chuzenji, makes a sheer drop. There is nearly always a rainbow over the falls and from time to time a cable car passes by.

The cable car takes you up to Chanokidaira, a small plateau with a botanical garden that is a good point to view all of Lake Chuzenji. Created during a volcanic eruption, this lake is popular for rainbow trout fishing and boat tours, as well as hiking. A walking trail runs from Kegon Falls around the southern shore of the Lake to Senju Beach and finishes up at the Ryuzu-no-taki waterfall. The spectacular falls are well worth a visit, and if you still have the energy a further 5km trail through the Aka Marsh and Senjo Field takes you up to Lake Yu and the Yumoto Spa. A bus runs from Yudaki-iriguchi bus stop back to Ryuzu Falls and anyone brave (or foolish) enough can swim in the Lakes, but they are cold, even in summer. If you want to be in the midst of water without the chill, hire a swan peddle boat on Lake Chuzenji.

From Kegon Falls a 50 minute bus-ride takes you back to Nishisando. The 14,000 cedar trees that line the Nikko Highway are the remainder of the 20,000 that were originally planted 350 years ago after the Toshogu Shrine was completed. As each of the sites in the area charge entry it is worth buying an 800 yen multiple "2 shrines, 1 temple" ticket ,which will give you entry to most of the major sights. Entry to the Toshugu Shrine alone is 1000 yen so the multiple ticket offers a considerable saving.

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