The back story
Nikkō: shrines in the cedar forest
Gilded, lacquered shrines in a forest of ancient cedars, the red Shinkyō bridge and the waterfalls of the mountains above: a UNESCO World Heritage site two hours north.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jpatokal · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsUNESCO inscribed the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō in 1999: the Tōshōgū, the Futarasan shrine and the Rinnō-ji temple, set in a forest of cedars in the mountains of Tochigi (whc.unesco.org). The Tōshōgū’s Yōmeimon gate is covered in carvings and gold leaf.
Getting there
Tōbu’s limited express trains run from Asakusa to Tōbu-Nikkō; JR runs by Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and then the local line.
The shrines
Cross by the red Shinkyō bridge, then climb to the Tōshōgū, its Yōmeimon gate, and Futarasan and Rinnō-ji.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Saigen Jiro · CC0 via Wikimedia CommonsLeave early: Nikkō is two hours away, and its shrines close in the late afternoon.
The mountains
Above the town, the road climbs to Lake Chūzenji and the Kegon Falls; autumn colours come in October.
Our advice: stay overnight to see Lake Chūzenji in the morning.
Why it's on our list
- Getting there
- The shrines
- The mountains
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
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