I’m planning to visit Japan for the first time in Jan 2024, and I’m trying to squeeze in one day trip from Tokyo to my trip. I’m thinking Nikko on 10th or 11th Jan, but I’m still a bit unsure about the feasibility of my planned itinerary, which goes like this:
6:30 : Take the Tobu Limited Express from Asakusa. Journey should take approx 2 hrs to Tobu-Nikko Station
8:30 : Arrive at Tobu-Nikko Station, Immediately continue via bus to Yudaki Falls.
10:00 : Explore Yudaki Falls and Yunoko Lake, grab snacks for breakfast
11:00 : Take the bus to Chuzenji/Kegon Falls
11:45 : Explore Kegon Falls & Chuzenji, Have lunch in the area
13:15 : Head back down to lower Nikko, to the shrines and temples complex
14:00 : Explore Toshogu, Rinnoji, Shinkyo Bridge and surroundings (Flexible, since I read that shrines close down at 15:30)
15:45 : Explore the town area surrounding the station (Snacks, Souvenirs)
17:15 : Take the train back to Asakusa
Does this itinerary sound reasonable? I was thinking of adding Ryuzu Falls between Yudaki and Kegon, But I feel like that would make the schedule even tighter than it already is
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6 comments
It’s technically feasible if you stick strictly to the plan. You’ll see little of the temples/shrines though. You have about two hours for the shrine are, and can easily spend that amount of time at just Toshogu shrine.
The question is whether it’s really worth doing this. This itinerary is fine if you want to prioritise these two specific waterfalls, care less about the shrines and are ready to spend many hours on trains and buses. Yudaki is a waterfall, nice enough, but it’s far away, and Chuzenji is a lake… not the most beautiful lake I’ve seen, but sure. Kegon Falls are interesting because it’s big, but there are other waterfalls closer to the Nikko town centre, like [Jakko Falls](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=569990595&q=%E5%AF%82%E5%85%89%E3%81%AE%E6%BB%9D+%E6%97%A5%E5%85%89&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj24o-tjteBAxU5VaQEHTW1C6gQ0pQJegQIDBAB) or [Kirifuri Falls](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=569990595&q=%E9%9C%A7%E9%99%8D%E3%83%8E%E6%BB%9D&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDudbXjteBAxX7VqQEHY-WCHkQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1280&bih=579&dpr=2), if you’re not picky.
If you want to enjoy the shrine area properly, I’d consider taking out the Oku-Nikko region and staying closer to Nikko town. Like: Shinkyo Bridge, Toshogu, Taiyuinbyo, Futarasan shrine, walk the Takinoo cedar trail to Takino’o Shrine (there’s a small waterfall there too), down to Rinnoji, lunch somewhere, Kanmangafuchi Abyss, if you like the Tamozawa Imperial Villa, maybe walk out to Jakko Falls before taking a bus back to the station where you can walk around/buy snacks. That will be a more shrine/temple-focused day but still includes some of the nature.
It’s up to you though, of course. You know what you like and what you want to see!
I think 1.5 hours for Toshogu, rinnoji, and the bridge is pretty slim. My husband and I spent over 3 hours there and I don’t feel like we got to see everything. Also there are some cute shops walking back to the station so you might want to give yourself a bit more time for shopping.
All the waterfalls look “close enough” to one another in winter, I’d cut Yudaki/Yunoko.
The shrines in Nikko were some of our favorites in our recent trip to Japan, so this seems a little quick to me. We spent the night and didn’t even get to Yudaki Falls, but we did want to see the embassy buildings and eat breakfast and have a drink at the historic Kanaya Hotel. We will probably to to Nikko again next time we’re in Japan, and may spend two nights for a more leisurely time so we can walk more around the lake. Kegon Falls was nice, but not spectacular, in my opinion. I enjoyed the shrines more. The town of Nikko actually felt very dead (uncrowded), but we were there in May.
We have this exact same situation, except our trip starts next week. We’re going to give this a shot as a daytrip, including Okunikko. If I remember, I’ll try to come back to this to let you know how it went.
I considered the early express train on the Tobu-Nikko Line (the Revaty, I think?), but we have the JR pass before the price increase. When I looked at the JR routes, there’s a chance to get to Nikko Station (different from Tobu Nikko Station) a little earlier, around 7:45 a.m. It’s not a direct route, as you have to connect in Utsunomiya. It leaves from Ueno Station a little after 6:00 a.m. I’m hoping this will get us on the early bus in the direction of Yumoto Onsen that leaves Nikko Station around 7:50, which puts us at Yudaki Falls a little after 9:00 a.m.
Even with hiking that starts at Yudaki Falls, I’ve got us back near the Chuzenji Onsen bus stop to visit Kegon Falls around lunchtime. After seeing Kegon Falls, I’ve got us back in the World Heritage Area by 2:00 p.m. and a little under three hours to do sightseeing there. The JR route back to Ueno leaves from Nikko Station at 5:19 p.m. and arrives back at Ueno via Utsunomiya a little after 7:00 p.m.
One tip I learned from a Youtube video is that, if you arrive in Tobu-Nikko, you should skip that bus queue and walk down to the one at Nikko Station. It’s a very short walk and gives you a better chance at finding a good seat. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQyHOJhZAU.
Went to see the waterfall and it’s just meh. The shrines and the bridge is the best part of Nikko.