A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the City of Nikko is located 140 km north of Tokyo and can be reached by train. Once you arrive at Nikko Station, you can pick up a map at the tourist information center and take a bus that will take you directly to the site. There are numerous temples nestled in the countryside and numerous hot springs (onsen). The most famous and well-known religious buildings are Tosho-gu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Futarasan Shrine, Taiyun-byo, and Shinkyo Bridge. Arriving at the entrance to the shrine area, you can’t help but notice the Shinkyo Bridge, 28 meters long and almost eight meters wide. Considered one of the most beautiful bridges in Japan, Shinkyo Bridge was built in 1636, and since then, the only people allowed to cross it were the emperor, his messengers, and generals. Since 1973, however, the bridge has been open to everyone. According to legend, the Buddhist monk Shodo, Nikko‘s first priest, asked the mountain deities for help crossing the Daiya River, at which point two serpents appeared and transformed into a bridge. The bridge belongs to the Futarasan-jinja Shrine and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.

• Tosho-gu Shrine
• Rinnoji temple
• Futarasan Shrine
• Taiyun byo Shrine
• Tickets, restaurants and coffee shops
• How to get there

Tosho-gu Shrine 日光東照宮

Nikko‘s most notable religious building is the Tosho-gu, where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who established Japan’s last shogunate, was buried after his death in 1616. Twenty years later, Ieyasu‘s grandson (Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun) built an elaborate complex around Ieyasu‘s mausoleum. Its 55 buildings include eight National Treasures, most notably the Yomeimon, a lavish gate covered in intricate wood carvings, vibrant paintings, and gold leaf. While exploring the site, keep an eye out for some of the more bizarre sculptures: a sleeping cat, angry-looking elephants with claws (the artist had never seen one), and the famous three monkeys in “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” poses. Just outside the complex is the modern Nikko Toshogu Museum, where you can learn more about the first shogun. Much of the sanctuary complex that can be seen today was rebuilt in the 17th century.

Rinnoji temple 輪王寺

Rinnoji is Nikko‘s most important temple; originally known as Shihonryuji Temple, Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple was founded 1,200 years ago by the Buddhist monk Shodo Shonin, who was Nikko‘s first chief monk. Sanbutsudo Hall, the temple’s main building, is one of Nikko‘s largest wooden structures and houses eight-meter-tall gilded statues of the Thousand-Armed Buddha of Mount Nantai, the Amida Buddha of Mount Nyoho, and the Horse-Headed Buddha of Mount Taro. These deities are considered Buddhist manifestations of Nikko‘s three mountain deities, enshrined at Futarasan Shrine. Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple also includes a treasure hall with National Treasure sutras and Buddha statues, as well as the Shoyoen Japanese garden, featuring a tranquil pond.

Futarasan Shrine 二荒山神社

Together with Toshu-gu and Rinno-ji shrines, it represents Nikko‘s complex of sacred places listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the main shrine area includes various buildings and many giant cedar trees. Futarasan Shrine stands next to Tosho-gu, in the center of Nikko. Much older than its more sumptuous neighbor, Futarasan Shrine was founded in 782 by Shodo Shonin, the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to Nikko and also founded Rinno-ji Temple. The shrine is dedicated to the deities of Nikko‘s three most sacred mountains: Mount Nantai, Mount Nyoho, and Mount Taro. Futarasan is an alternative name for Mount Nantai, the most important of the three. This shrine is divided into three levels, the one near Tosho-gu it is the first shrine. The second is located on the shores of Lake Chuzen-ji, and the third is located at the top of the mountain.

Taiyuin Shrine

Taiyuin Shrine is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. To honor his grandfather, Iemitsu restored Tosho-gu Shrine and then built Taiyuin to face Tosho-gu. Out of respect for Ieyasu, Taiyuin Shrine is more modest than Toshogu, but still magnificent. Taiyuin contains 22 national treasures and a richly decorated prayer hall; the Nitenmon Gate and Kokamon Gate are brightly decorated. The shrine sits in a prime location, offering a beautiful view from above. To reach Taiyuin Shrine, one must climb a beautiful (and tiring) staircase through the forest. Taiyuin was completed in 1653, after Iemitsu‘s death.

Tickets, restaurants and coffee shops

Temple tickets can be purchased on-site. Admission tickets to Tosho-gu Shrine can be purchased directly at the shrine entrance, while those to Tennoji can be purchased at the ticket office in front of the temple. Some temples (like Tennoji) offer combined tickets (temple + museum). Despite being overrun by tourists, Nikko is a magical place where you can unwind from the hustle and bustle of the city and immerse yourself in the silence of nature.

Around the UNESCO site, you’ll also find traditional restaurants where you can stop for a bite to eat and rest. Along the main road, there’s a wide selection of restaurants serving ramen, noodles, soba, and yuba; yuba is one of Nikko‘s most traditional (and nutritious) delicacies. It’s the thin film that forms on the surface of soy milk when it’s slowly heated; it’s carefully removed and collected, a byproduct of tofu production, but consumed as a delicacy in its own right. Yuba has a delicate, sweet, and slightly lactic flavor, with a soft yet elastic texture. It’s a valuable source of plant-based protein, widely used in the vegetarian cuisine (Shojin Ryori) of Buddhist temples. Alternatively, yuba can be fried or incorporated into another dish, such as yuba udon or yuba manju. For a coffee break, I recommend Hongu Cafe, a small café surrounded by the forest; here, you can sip matcha, coffee, or hot chocolate in a traditional Japanese-style teahouse with tatami floor. For a variety of sweets, you can also find several shops along the main road that also sell street food.

How to get there

The easiest way to reach Nikko without any problems is to rent a car with a private driver and leave early in the morning. If you prefer to travel by public transportation, the fastest train leaves from Asakusa Tobu Station. This train (Tobu Railway Express) requires a ticket with a seat reservation and costs around 2,850 yen one way; the Tobu Railway Express takes about an hour and thirty minutes to reach Nikko.