As a get-away during the first half of my upcoming trip this fall, we wanted to visit Nikko and return to Tokyo. At first, I was going to do just a day trip, but I did not want to feel rushed and this could be a good chance to stay one night at a nicer ryokan/onsen hotel, and relax a little in the area without worrying about missing any last trains.
But since I haven’t been to Nikko before, I’m a little lost on the logistics of the area. I’ve done some research and looked at a few maps, but am still confused on how the busses work, and how the attractions/sights are spaced apart. I’m okay with not seeing every major attraction, but I thought I’d post here what I am currently thinking and see what I can re-arrange before I pull the trigger on a ryokan.
**Day 1**
* This will be on a weekday, first week of November
* From Tokyo: use JR pass, Ueno Station to Utsunomiya around 9AM
* (do I need to select seats in advance?)
* Have lunch at Utsunomiya before jumping on a train to JR Nikko Station
* Arrive in Nikko around noon, purchase bus passes
* Take the bus to see Kegon falls then Ryuzu falls
* Senjogahara trail hike / or similar hike
* Bus and/or hike to hotel
* Stay the night at ryokan or japanese-style hotel with private onsen
* (Would it make more sense to stay in Chuzenji or Yumoto?)
* I worry that Yumoto might be a stretch too far away, but I kind of like the thought of a quieter area.
**Day 2**
* Bus back to Nikko town around 9-10AM
* Toshogu / Villa and other nearby sights
* Kanmangafuchi abyss
* Head back to Tokyo around 4-5pm
Is this too much or too little? I heard there was an Edo theme park around there and other attractions, but I’m fine with missing out on that. The essence of this trip I’m looking for is a solid 2-3 hours of hiking and nature stuff on day 1, a private onsen at the hotel we end up staying at that night, then doing the shrine/temple and town stuff on day 2. I want to get a bit more specific in where we can hike, and which Japanese-style hotels with private onsen we can potentially book. We would be a party of 3.
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2 comments
The key constraint of Nikko (IMO) is that Kegon fall faces east into a chasm, so it falls into shade and becomes hard to photograph past mid-day. So whatever way you have it planned, make sure you visit the falls in the morning, and other locations like Toshogu in the afternoon.
For your itinerary, it likely means swapping Toshugu and Kegon falls around, so you go to Toshogu first on the first day, and then Kegon falls the next morning.
I’ve always done Nikko as a day trip though (and yeah, it’s very tiring), so no recommendations on ryokans.
If you are going all the way to Chuzenji/Yumoto you might consider saving the JR pass for other days of your trip and getting the Tobu Railways Niko All Area Pass instead, because this pass also covers the buses. They were 50% off on Klook a couple months back so there is even occasional discounts.
Your plan generally looks fine, keep in mind it gets dark very early in November so you may want to start earlier on Day 1 to get more time hiking. For early November I think Chuzenji is better, it’s quiet enough there and the foliage will be gone at Yumoto so in this sense it would be less visually attractive.
I always research ryokan using Japanese language booking sites. [Link to Jalan search for lodging with private baths serving dinner & breakfast in Chuzenji/Yumoto area](https://www.jalan.net/080000/LRG_080800/SML_080805/?stayYear=&stayMonth=&stayDay=&dateUndecided=1&stayCount=1&roomCount=1&adultNum=3&minPrice=0&maxPrice=999999&mealType=3&careBathRent=1&kenCd=080000&lrgCd=080800&smlCd=080805&rootCd=04&distCd=01&roomCrack=300000&reShFlg=1&mvTabFlg=0&listId=0&screenId=UWW1402)