"Nikko is Nippon"
"Nikko is Nippon" is the slogan spread on posters throughout the town. How true. Nikko is a quintessentially Japanese combination of a somewhat drab, often shabby, functional little mountain settlement, in which nestles a pay-to-view miracle of cultural achievement: a perfect illustration of how in Japan beauty is generally regarded as specialized and beyond, beneath which no-nonsense life must be lived. In this land of contrasts, Nikko offers the ultimate with its architectural representations of heaven floating over a burg of gray non-distinction.
History
Nikko is a city of the prefecture of Tochigi located in the grounds, in the center of the principal island of Honshu. The origin of the city merges more or less with the construction of the first Buddhist ryokan (Shionryu) on its territory in VIIIe century by the monk Shôdo Shônin. This ryokan rebuilt into 808, is known today under the name of Futura-san. The number of ryokan then did not cease increasing and with them the radiation of the city.
The city however really passed from the shade to the light when, in 1617, the shogun Tokugawa Hitetada decided to transfer to Nikko ashes from his/her father the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. This recognition was supported by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1634 when this one decided to build in the honor of his/her grandfather the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu an exceptional mausoleum. Climate and Geography Nikko is a city of more than 30.000 inhabitants located at 120 km in the North of Tokyo.
The climate is wet there in summer and cold and dryness in winter. The city, irrigated Daiya river, surrounded by a national park, a botanical garden and cascades enjoys an exceptional environment. Economy The city shelters small shops and restoring especially regoupés along the principal artery going towards E Tosho-gu. Tourism is one of the important activities of the city. Transport Nikko is easily HOW TOible by the road or the train. On the spot the city has a network of bus and bus which will enable you to move easily.
Train: From Tokyo to return to you to station JR of Nikko you can take the line of Tôbu-Nikkô train from the station Asakusa (2 hours of way approximately). You can also take Shinkansen from the Ueno station of Tokyo to the Utsunomiya station. Of this station you will have to hang another train for station JR of Nikko. This formula saves to you approximately 25 minutes but is more expensive.
Cars: Vehicles are offered to the hiring at station JR of Nikko.
Bus: In addition to the traditional buses, a line of bus (Nikko-koutsuu) proposes to you to make the turn of the tourist whole of the centers of the city of then parks it JR of Nikko. To locate itself The majority of the tourist centers of interests are located out of the city at approximately 1 km of station JR and regroupès after the Daiya river. You can request charts from the tourist information center located at the Tobu-Nikko station. Tourist information center: 591, Gokomachi area, Nikko, Tochigi. Tourism Nikko is a city lost in the middle of the giant forests of cryptomères. This city with its small station out of wooden of the beginning of the century is not, with the first HOW TO, especially attracting. It shelters treasures however. The Shinkyo bridge. That will undoubtedly be your first point of fall. This bridge vermilion, is located on the left modern bridge which you will have to borrow to return to you in Tosho-gu. It originally was built in 1636 then rebuilt in 1907. It marks the passage of the monk Shodo Shonin on the back of giant snakes to go to found the Shionryû ryokan named today futura-san. ryokans and sanctuaries of the town of Nikko.
Nikko was in turn a great Buddhist center and shintô. The majority of these sanctuaries and ryokans are paying. A single ticket, sold like a fixed price, enables you to visit most important. Above, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu. To have an explanation on the ryokans Rinno-ji and Sambutsu-dô, to click-here. To have an explanation on the Tosho-gu sanctuaries, Futara-san and Taiyuin-byo, to click-here. At the time of your visit of Tosho-gu it is things not to be missed. It goes from there in particular thus from Yomeimon (carries giving towards Honden), of the stable crowned with its 3 small carved monkeys, of the fountain crowned out of granite, the pagoda of 5 stages of 1650 rebuilt in 1818, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the sculpture of the deadened cat (Nemuri Neko) allotted to Hidari Jingoro. The Rinno-ji ryokan and the sanctuaries Tosho-gu, Futara-san are registered with the world inheritance of UNESCO.
city information / tipss of Nikko. Urushi city information / tips. The Urushi term returns directly to the sap of the Urushi tree used in the creation of object in lacquers. This city information / tips with the evocative name is thus devoted to the lacquer and its techniques. The city information / tips of art of Tosho-gu. This city information / tips shelters in particular paintings and objects having belonged to the Tokugawa family. Parks and cascades of Nikko. The town of Nikko is coiled in the National park of Nikko.
The Botanical garden of Nikko was founded in 1902 close to Tosho-gu then moved in 1911 on its current site. On this garden of 104.490 m2 pushes more than 2200 plants. Ganman-ga-fuchi: With the volcanic Mount Nantai on banks of the Daiya river. The river is thrown on an old lava flow and offers a seizing spectacle
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From the Tobu line Nikko station to the Nikko ryokan and shrines (known as the "Nikko San'nai" area), it is a 5-minute bus/taxi ride, or a 20-minute walk. The bus station is right in front of the train station, and the road up to Nikko San'nai is the road you can see beyond the bus station. The Nikko Information Center is a 5-minute walk up that road (route 119) and can be seen on your left. The best deal for visiting the shrines is a 1,300 yen set of tickets that will get you into Toshogu, Yakushido, Futarasan, and Rinnoji. This set of tickets is available from the green-roofed office at the right of the entrance to Toshogu. (Not available at the Nikko hotel ist Office.)
Shinkyo - the Sacred Bridge, or 'Snake Bridge'
 From Nikko town as you near the shrine area, you will see the picturesque vermillion Shinkyo, or Sacred Bridge crossing the Daiya River. It belongs to the Nikko Futarasan Shrine and has been a World Heritage Site since 1999. In a project spanning eight years: 1997 to 2005, no less than 800 million yen (over USD6.5 million) were spent restoring it.
It is said that the priest Shodo Shonin, the bringer of Buddhism to Nikko, unable to cross the river on his mission to climb Mt. Nantai, implored the gods for help. The god Jinjao appeared, cast down a pTRAVELof snakes from bank to bank which formed a bridge. The leap from magic serpents to wooden bridge requires imagination, but it's still there and still spans the river. A small shrine to Shodo's benefactor, the god Jinjao, is one of the first structures you come to after crossing it.
Unfortunately, however, it is not usually open to the public.
 Walk a little further up and come face to face with the statue of Shodo Shonin himself.
Toshogu
 The first structure of note once you ascend the steps and pass under the stone torii archway is the Go-juu-no-toh Five Storey Pagoda on your left. 36 meters (118 feet) high, it has a unique earthquake-resistant feature in the form of a 60cm (2 foot)-diameter pole hung internally from its fourth floor. The original tower dated from 1650 but was burnt down in 1815. The present tower is a reconstruction from 1818. Check out the twelve Chinese zodiac signs ryokanved around its first level.
Proceed to, and present your ticket at, the shrine's outer gate, the Omote-mon ('Front Gate') with its fearsome 4m (13 foot) high Deva king guardians at the front, a pTRAVELof lions on the other side, and festooned with somewhat odd-looking golden elephants. Note how one of the Deva kings has his his lips closed and the other his mouth open as if issuing a cry. This is a traditional dichotomy known as 'um' and 'ah' (the similarity to the English phrase denoting indecision being coincidental and unrelated) and can be found in many similarly paired likenesses of various characters and guardians.
Immediately ahead of you on going through the Omote-mon Front Gate are the three San-Jinko Sacred Storehouses where costumes for spring and autumn festivitites and horseback archery gear is stored. The two creatures depicted in ryokanved relief on the end of the roof of the far left-hand storehouse are known as the 'imaginary elephants'. Toshogu's art director, Kano Tanyu, had never seen an elephant. Judge for yourself how he fared on hearsay alone!
Just to the left of the Omote-mon gate is Toshogu's only largely unpainted Hostele-wood structure, the Shinkyusha Sacred Stable . Housing the horse used in worship of the gods (donated by the government of New Zealand), it is decorated with a ryokanving of the three 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' monkeys - it being traditionally believed that monkeys protected horses from disease.
The sacred horse itself, 'Koha' (a New Zealand Maori name meaning 'gift'), can be seen here daily between 10am and 2pm.
 A little further on where the path turns to the right is the Omizuya lavabo (holy washing trough), dating from 1618, siphoning water up from the nearby river for worshipers at the Shrine to purify themselves with. Its twelve granite pillars (not wood, to avoid rot by being splashed) support an ornate Chinese-style roof depicting waves and flying dragons. Apart from the gold, the watery but brilliant colors are typical of the late 1500s Momoyama era.
Nikko was established as a center of Buddhist religious activity during the 8th century thanks to the missionary zeal of the priest Shodo Shonin. Nearby Mt. Nantai was already an object of veneration for generations. It was Shodo who, according to legend, overcame a series of challenges and climbed the mountain, bringing the teachings of Buddha to the area. Yet his achievement did not bring about the exclusion of the ancient native Shintoism, whose shrines remained and stood side by side with Buddhist ryokans.
Significant as Nikko was, its present fame dates back to comparatively 'recent' times, i.e. the year of the demise of the great unifier of Japan, the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542-1616). Nikko is north of the capital (now Tokyo, but then known as Edo) and, north being the direction from which demons are traditionally said to come, Ieyasu wanted to be enshrined as a god of the nation, protecting it from evil even in death.
Not only was Nikko located in an auspicious direction, but the 53rd abbot of Rinnoji ryokan was very close to Ieyasu and, enjoying his confidence, was entrusted with the Shogun's remains. In accordance with Ieyasu's wishes, a small shrine was built at Nikko. It was his grandson Iemitsu Tokugawa who had the shrine rebuilt into the opulent masterpiece it is today: a monument not only to Ieyasu, but to the wealth and power of the Tokugawa family.
Nikko as a hotel ist attraction consists of (in order of proximity to the Shinkyo Bridge entrance) Rinnoji ryokan; Toshogu - where Ieyasu Tokugawa is enshrined; Futarasan - a shrine to the gods of the area's holy mountains Nantai, Nyoho and Taro; and Taiyuin - where the renovator of Toshogu, Iemitsu Tokugawa, is enshrined.
Rinnoji
Nikko is an approximately two-hour train ride on the Tobu line from Asakusa station in Tokyo, and can involve more than just a day trip. However, even if you are planning to visit that other famous repository of Japanese culture, Kyoto , a visit to Nikko is still highly recommended.
Whereas is Kyoto a flat, demure and regularly laid out city with something of a croquet lawn atmosphere, Nikko offers the contrast of Japan's most splendid - even gaudy - gestures of giddily high culture set in a serene and evocative mountain wilderness of gurgling streams, waterfalls, and towering forests. The unique combination of natural quietude and cultural opulence will stamp your Japan experience like few other sojourns will.
The main cluster of Nikko's cultural heritage is made up of several Buddhist ryokans and Shinto shrines, housed often on the same premises. Set in a 424 hectare (1048 acre) domain, these institutions include between them a total of 103 buildings, nine of which are classified as National Treasures and 94 as Important Cultural Properties. Nikko's shrines and ryokan were registered as a World Heritage site by the World Heritage Committee in 1999. Although the first ryokan you come to from the Shinkyo Bridge direction is Rinnoji, it is recommended that you leave Rinnoji till later and head for the main shrine of Toshogu that lies on the rising ground directly behind it. The main reason is that, as mentioned above, you can buy a discount ticket to enter nearly all the shrines and ryokans for only 1,300 yen from the green-roofed office at the right of the entrance to Toshogu. Also, if your time is limited, as a spectacle Toshogu gets priority.
Nikko's fame dates from 1617 when Toshogu, was built by the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada. In accordance with the wishes of Ieyasu Tokugawa, whom it enshrines, it was built as 'a simple shrine'. However, his grandson Iemitsu reconstructed it in 1636 in its present style, when 454,000 workmen and artisans labored for a year and five months, night and day, to complete the masterpiece that the ryokan is. This resting place of Ieyasu Tokugawa is the focal point of the whole of Nikko.
Rinnoji's Hobutsuden ('Treasure House') city information / tips (not to be confused with the much bigger Hobutsukan city information / tips in the adjacent compound) is located in front of the Sanbutsudo, separated only by the ryokanpark. It is HOW TOible for only 100 yen. However, a 300 yen ticket allows you to enter both the city information / tips and its adjoining Shoyoen strolling gardens created over 300 years ago. The city information / tips covers the 1,200 years of the ryokan's history. It includes, amongst other things, old karuta playing ryokands, masks from the Edo era, scrolls, folding screens, and implements used in Buddhist worship.
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Most visitors staying overnight will probably be eating in their hostel, guesthouses. However there are Guesthouses around the station area and on the roads leading up to the Nikko San'nai area. Yuba - thin strips of tofu - is a specialty, and there is a local beer - Nikko beer.
Tourist Information
Tobu Nikko Station Information Center
Tobu Nikko Station
(0288 53 4511
Around Nikko
Nikko is part of Nikko National Park and the area includes some other worthwhile sites including the beautiful Chuzenji Lake and the spectacular Kegon Falls about 10km west of Nikko town.
There are also hot-springs at Yashionoyu onsen, Yumoto onsen and Kinugawa onsen.
Nikko Edo Village is a theme park for samurai dramas and ninja shows (shuttle bus from Shin-Takatoku station on the Tobu Kinugawa Line).
HOW TO
Train
From Tokyo board the train at Asakusa station and take the Tobu-Nikko Line to Nikko. The time required differs a little on the kind of train you take. The tokkyu (Limited Express train) takes 1 hour 50 mins, and the kaisoku (Rapid) takes 2 hours.
IMPORTANT : Check beforehand with the station staff whether or not you need to change trains at Imaichi. Asking this question could save you hours.
To ask in Japanese: Imaichi (EE-MY-CHEE) de norikae no hitsuyo ga arimaska? or, better still, go here to print the question out in Japanese (as an image file , so doesn't require Japanese font capability) and simply show the printed question to the station staff.
For JR HOTEL RESERVATION / BOOKING ONLINEPass holders, an alternative route is by shinkansen (bullet train) to Utsunomiya (50 mins) and then a local JR train to Nikko (45 mins).
Nikko-Kinugawa Pass
Available from Tokyo Asakasa station - this 2-day pass includes train travel (though not the Express surcharge) to Nikko, bus travel between Nikko, Chuzenji Lake, Kinugawa onsen and Yumoto onsen, as well as boats and cable ryokans in these areas.
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