Hello!
I’m planning a Solo trip hopefully for this year from Oct 9 to Nov 7 but wanting to work on Nikko for planning first.
Was thinking of doing the following places.
Toshogu Shrine > Rinnoji Temple > Kanmangafuchi Abyss > Kegon waterfall > Hangetsuyama Observation Deck (With some hiking) > Kayak on Lake Chuzenjiko.
Would this all be possible as a day trip from Tokyo(arrive at Nikko by 8:30am) or would this require a overnight stay?
Lastly when would be a good time to visit for the autumn colors around Oct 10-14 or Oct 26-Nov 6?
8 comments
Two days for sure, especially if you want to do anything outdoor around lake Chuzenji. Best to stay for a night and enjoy a onsen.
Keep in mind that attractions close around 5pm and will get dark not much later.
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I went in 2019 from Nov 3-4 and stayed overnight, if you want to do what you planned, keep in mind that transport to and from is only by bus, and the buses will be crowded depending on when you go. Also I think there’s a holiday in early November (around when we went), so it was very crowded. If you don’t want to rush and want to spend time relaxing definitely stay overnight (also you can go to some of the more crowded areas during very early AM, right when the buses start up)
That time of year is busy and the hope to do that in one day with limited light will be difficult. I would recommend the temples day 1, and the next morning Kayaking. Color change is happening around Chuzenji because of it’s elevation. It will be chilly, possibly snowy and busy, as the lake sits about 1500m up, but it’s pretty.
First snowfall for Nantai-San (which Lake Chuzeji is a part of) starts October 30th on average with the first snowfall of the 2020 season was October 18th.
I went to nikko for a day trip. I only had time to see see Kegon falls, the town at Lake Chuzenji, Toshogu Shrine and the town of Nikko, and that was a fairly packed day.
You have to count between 2 and 2 and a half hours to get to Nikko from Tokyo, after which it is a 45 minutes bus trip to Kegon falls.
If you want to do all of this, plan a 2 day trip.
If you want something a bit out of the way from the regular Nikko sightseeing, Musasabi Bridge over the Kinugawa river is amazing, highly remote and very quiet. This region is quite famous for its Soba with tofu strands (I don’t know the actual word for it sorry), make sure you get some!
Hiya! I tried to do similar in Nikko in 2019 and I reckon you’ll need 2 days minimum. Public transport isn’t the most frequent and everything stops at 5pm, so you’re out of luck trying to cram so much in one day.
I went around the last week of October – some of the autumn colours were put, but not in full swing. Probably give it a week or two into November to see the best colours.
Feel free to DM me if you have any queries!
So beautiful, unfortunately I’ll check!