When a city welcomes you with such a powerful message, you know you are about to witness something special. The city and its surrounding areas do not disappoint! It’s a perfect combination of scenic beauty and heritage from its rich history.
We visited Nikko on our 5th day in Japan. Nikko is easily approachable from Tokyo and we decided to do a day trip. As is the case with other places in Japan, a day is just enough to check all the important places in Nikko. I would have preferred an overnight stay in Nikko considering the richness its many temples and shrines and the natural landscape. Nikko is definitely one of my favorite places and I would highly recommend this place even if one is not a huge fan of Shinto and Buddhist temples and shrines. You have a lot of other things to explore, including an onsen!
Location and access
Nikko is situated in the Tochigi Prefecture and lies approximately 150 KMs to the north of Tokyo. Per Wikipedia, it has a population of around 85000 people. Besides its many tourist attractions, I found the city to have a pretty go-easy atmosphere. As you might expect in Japan, the city is pretty easily accessible by public transport, even though you must change trains at least a couple of times and the duration is almost 2 ½ hours one way.
How to get there?
Using the Hyperdia app, you can opt for the route that suits you the best. Nikko is connected directly by JR line from Utsunomiya, capital of Tochigi Prefecture and to reach Utsunomiya, you can take the Shinkansen. If you are in the Shibuya or Shinjuku area, this route should work pretty well. If you are doing a day trip I highly recommend leaving early in the morning since it takes 2 ½ hours to reach Nikko station and then the last train from Nikko leaves at 5:12 PM. You don’t want to miss that train back home!
A blog about nothing. 