From the island I traveled ahead to the mountains. Nikko was one of the places that was on my bucket list. So from Narita to Nikko is a 4 hour journey. Had to take a train to Tokyo Skytree first and from there I had to transfer to the Nikko Line. For this line I had to buy a ticket voor my seat because it is reserved seats only and with my Suica card I could just check in for the train. I’m glad that I have my Suica on my phone. (Check the Suica Card travel tip here)
I arrived around 1pm at Tobu-Nikko Station, from there it’s a 4 minute walk to my hotel “Nikko Station Hotel 2”. Check in is at 3pm so I had to wait for 2 hours. I left my suitcase and backpack in the hotel and went to check out the neighborhood. Nikko is a very lovely town, the surroundings is al nature, you can see the mountains. It is so lovely and also a bit cozy. There are many shops and restaurants nearby the station.
So after 2 hours of waiting I could finally check in. The room was big for Japanese standards and the view is amazing. I was so tired from traveling I just chilled in my room. So around 7pm I was getting hungry but at my surprise all the shops and restaurants were already closed. Happy that there is a Family Mart so I just bought my food there.
The next day I had a private tour that I already booked a few days ago. Hiro was my tour guide, he picked me up at my hotel. So from there we drove in his car to “Akechidaira Plateau”. This is a little ropeway that took you all the way up. From here you have an amazing view and you can also see the famous Kegon Waterfall. We spend there about 20 minutes and the we headed up to “Lake Chuzenji”.
At Lake Chuzenji we boarded a boat. The boat took us a little across the lake. In the meantime you can enjoy the beautiful view from the water. The landscapes are amazing to see.The boat trip went very smoothly. You don’t even notice that you are on the water. It took about 15 minutes to take us across. From there we went off the boat and walked to “ Ryuzu Falls”.
To Ryuzu Falls it is a 15 minute walk. This waterfall exist out two little waterfalls. It was so beautiful to see. Also at the entrance we saw a statue of a dragon and a tiger. Here you can make a wish by throwing some coins to the dragon or tiger. I threw some money at the tiger. Let’s see if my wish comes true ;).
We also took a little break there and had some kind of rice drink which was super tasty. It tasted sweet but not too sweet. Just the right amount. While enjoying our drinks you can sit and watch the waterfalls. The view and the sound of the water makes it al so peaceful.
From there we took the local bus back to the starting point from Lake Chuzenji. Hiro had parked his car there. Back at his car we drove to the “Nikko Toshogu Shrine”. This place is part of the “Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage”. It honors the most famous samurai leader “Tokugawa Ieyasu”. The place is so big that you can explore it thoroughly. We also went in an temple, we had to take our shoes off because theres no shoes aloud. Also making pictures is not aloud. Overall it is really worth to visit. Be aware that you also have to walk many stairs. It was definitely a good workout.
After that we had a late lunch. We ate some local dishes and then he brought me back to my hotel. It was his first tour so I must say he did a good job. He is still learning on his English but I mostly could understand him. And for the part that I did not understand we had Google Translate :p. The only thing that I missed from the tour is that we did not go to Kegon Falls. I decided to go there the next day.
Before I went to Kegon Falls I walked first to the “Shinkyo Bridge”. It was a twenty minute walk from my hotel. This bridge is also one of the famous bridges in Nikko. You might expect it to be a large bridge but it is not. The location is just perfect with the water streaming under the bridge it was just amazing to see. I was glad that I came there early so I could take beautiful pictures without any tourists standing on the bridge.
From there I took the local bus to Kegon Falls. It took about an hour to get there. I could also pay with Suica in the bus that was perfect.
Kegon Falls is just so amazing! It really is a true wonder of nature. With the Kegon Falls Elevator you go 100 meters down. So I bought a ticket for that and it was definitely worth it. So from downstairs you have the perfect view from the waterfall. It was so impressive to see. I spend there a long time just admiring the scenery. There were also two little stores there, I bought myself a box of mochi :p. Went with the elevator up again and had a ice coffee to cool down, walked back to the bus stop and went back again.
Nikko is a place where you really can enjoy the beauty of nature. I think spending 2 full days there is enough because if you stay there longer I think you will get bored because there is not much to do there. I’m glad that I was staying there the 2 full days.
After Nikko my journey continues. Traveling with train and bullettrain to my next destination.
I’ll see you there!
-XOXO-
San
