Hiking in Nikko: Waterfalls and Marshland in Oku-Nikko

Nikko, Shinkyō Bridge and Tōshō-gū

Nikko has always been a place of pilgrimage. Legend has it that two huge snakes appeared to the monk Shōdō Shōnin at the raging Daiya River and intertwined to form a bridge. The Shinkyō Bridge stands on exactly that spot today, one of the most photographed sights in the country. You can look at it from the road for free. Walking onto the bridge costs around 300 yen. All you can do is walk out and back again though. Pretty pointless really.

Across the road and up the hill the temple area begins, and it is so big it feels like it never ends. Since 1999 the whole area has been a World Heritage Site together with the Rinnō-ji and the Futarasan Shrine. The Tōshō-gū is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the shogunate. His grandson had the complex built in 1636, with plenty of gold, lacquer and carvings.

Behind the sleeping cat, 207 stone steps lead up to Ieyasu’s grave. Up and back takes about half an hour. It is noticeably quieter up there than down below, and that alone makes the climb worth it. Admission is around 1,600 yen.

The late afternoon is the best time for the Shinkyō Bridge and the Tōshō-gū. During the day it gets extremely crowded. We went when the buses were slowly heading back, and had the bridge almost to ourselves.

My tip: stay 2 nights

With two nights you turn the whole rhythm of the day around. The day visitors arrive around ten and are gone again by late afternoon, while you are there in the morning and in the evening, when it is quiet. On top of that you can head straight up into the mountains in the morning instead of travelling two hours from Tokyo first.

We stayed at the Stay Nikko Guesthouse, a small place with a really lovely host called Kenji. He sat down with us and talked us through the hiking routes in detail. Which bus goes when, where we have to get off and which direction we are better off walking. Plus two tips for where to eat in town in the evening. Hosts like that are worth their weight in gold, it saves you a lot of research and you simply set off the next day.

Getting there & our plan

From Tokyo you take the Tobu Line from Asakusa to Tobu Nikko. The Spacia X is the nicest option. It is a limited express with a lounge and compartments, but you do have to reserve a seat in advance. Waaaaaay in advance! The town has two stations, almost next to each other. Tobu Nikko Station for all Tobu Line trains and Nikkō Station for all JR East trains.

Check in at your accommodation or just drop off the suitcases, then go and explore Nikko. Late afternoon, once most of the day visitors have gone, is the best time.

Grab breakfast and supplies at the konbini the next morning and then take the bus up to Oku-Nikko for the hike. In the afternoon the bus brings you back to Nikko, and after that you let the evening wind down in town. The next day you move on by train.

Everything about train travel in Japan is here by the way: Traveling through Japan with the Shinkansen

The route

The hiking does not happen in Nikko itself but up in Oku-Nikko. Plan around 3 hours for the roughly 6 to 7 kilometres. The bus takes you straight from the bus station in Nikko up into the mountains.

The ride all the way up takes a good hour and is a small experience in itself, with plenty of bends and hairpins. At the top the view opens up onto Lake Chūzenji, and after that it carries on along the shore further into the highlands.

You can of course walk the route the other way round, uphill from the bottom up to Yumoto Onsen. Just get off somewhere along the way and start from there. The bus stops at several points right on the trail. We decided to go downhill. That way the gradient is on your side, and the most famous waterfalls come at the end instead of right at the start.