Nikko, Chuzenji, and Kegon Falls Guide

I. Introduction

Below are top reasons why Nikko is a must-visit town if you are in Tokyo:

• Accessibility: Nikko is only two hours away from Asakusa station in Tokyo, and the Tobu-Nikko railway line makes the journey short, straightforward and hassle-free. This makes Nikko an ideal destination for a few days or even a day trip from Tokyo.
• Temples and Shrines: Nikko is home to numerous impressive temples and shrines nested in dense forest areas. The high pagodas, lavish decorations, aesthetics, and size make these wooden architectural marvels supremely photogenic.
• Cultural Festivals (Matsuri): Twice a year, in autumn and spring, Nikko holds major festive activities that include ritual horse archery (Yabusame) and impressive samurai parades.
• Nature: An hour away by bus, lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls make for a beautiful and entertaining day trip from Nikko.

The town centre is small, and very few photo opportunities are available there, so you will mostly find yourself around the temple area.

Nikko has a network of buses that take you from JR Nikko Station or Tobu-Nikko Station to the Heritage Sites. From there, it’s only a few minutes’ walk to Toshogu Shrine and the neighbouring sites of Rinno-Ji Temple and Tayu-in Templ.

II. How Much Time Should You Stay in Nikko?

Most online reviews will recommend Nikko for a day trip or an overnight stay. I find that relatively short, even for a non-ambitious agenda.

If you are short on time and you have only one day to spare, you can visit Kamakura for its temples or hike Mt Takao for its nature and monkey park, both of which are closer by one hour from Tokyo compared to Nikko. On the other hand, Toshogu Shrine, Taiyū-in Temple, and the Shinkyō Bridge can all comfortably fit into a day trip and are incredibly hard to miss.

Nikko itself is a picturesque little town, but all activities are concentrated outside of the town centre. The shrines and temples are about a 30-minute walk, and Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls are about an hour by bus. Edo Wonderland is some 40 min from Nikko Station.

III. Nikko Temples and Shrines

The three temples listed below are in the same area, around a 40-minute walk from the town centre. Surprisingly, getting there by bus takes the same time. The three temples share some common aspects regarding how easy or challenging it can be to photograph them.

• Toshogu Shrine and Taiyū-in Temple are nested in a forest, and whether you arrive in the morning or the evening, at least one side of the temple structures will be backlit with the wooden walls, gates, doors, and decorations are primarily dark, creating a very high dynamic range, making the photography incredibly challenging.
• You can expect to use all focal lengths on your lenses. At a minimum, a wide-angle and a standard prime will be required. A very wide prime will be challenging as it will produce a bustling scene with plenty of distractions.
• Toshogu Shrine and Rinnōji Temple are very popular destinations, and crowds would be expected. To avoid peak times, you can arrive early in the morning or late in the evening, perhaps one hour before it closes.

A. Toshogu Shrine

Toshogu Shrine will unarguably be your first destination in Nikko. Its large, lavishly decorated, incredibly well-preserved shrine complex is dedicated to none other than Tokugawa Ieyasu himself.

The shrine is nested in a forest with large beautiful trees, and while it’s eye-watering when walking around, it tends to make photographing the shrine extra challenging due to the dim light and backlit sceneries. Not only that, but the high contrast between the bright sky and the dark red temple walls, bronze sculptures, and trees will make it even more challenging. Finally, and as is the case in most popular tourist destinations in Japan, it can be jam-packed.

If you want to take the best pictures, you might want to plan multiple trips to Toshogu Shrine, perhaps one in the morning and one in the evening. Bring with you those high-quality lenses with low-flare glass.

Top structures of Toshogu Shrine:

• Yomeimon gate separating the storehouse area from the main building
• The five-story pagoda situated at the shrine’s entrance
• Tokugawa Ieyasu’s mausoleum can be reached via a long and steep flight of stairs.

B. Rinnōji Temple

Rinnoji Temple is a few minutes’ walk from Toshogu Shrine. Its main structure is a large red building, the Sanbutsudo, which houses the larger-than-life, gold-lacquered wooden statues of Amida Buddha, Senju-Kannon (“Kannon with a thousand arms”), and Bato-Kannon (“Kannon with a horse head”). Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the temple. Do not be discouraged, though; both great Buddha statues at Kamakura are open to the public, and photography is allowed there.

Outside the temple lies a small but beautiful Zen garden with a small wooden bridge, a pond, and, as usual, carp swimming around.

Opposite Sanbutsudo stands a museum showcasing Buddhist and Tokugawa-related treasures. Again, pictures are not allowed inside. Behind the museum is another small Japanese-style garden, the Shoyoen. The garden is quite photogenic in autumn, with peak autumn colours in mid-November. During the time I visited in October, hardly any autumn colours were visible, as can be seen from the pictures.

Compared to Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple offers much fewer photo opportunities, but since they are very close to each other, including it in your itinerary is worth it.

C. Taiyū-in Temple

Taiyūin is a temple complex built as the final resting place of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Ieyasu and the third shogun. It is only a few minutes’ walk from Toshogu Shrine and exhibits equally lavish buildings and decorations—not precisely equal, but very close. It was intentionally built as such since it is said that Iemitsu deeply respected and revered his grandfather. As such, it is absolutely worth the visit.

Unlike Senso-ji temple and many similar places of worship, no plastic walls or meshed wires separate you from the deities’ statues. This makes capturing stunning close-ups relatively straightforward. Moreover, the temple contains around eight large, captivating statues called of deities Zochoten, Jikokuten, Kendara, Umarokya, Abatsumara, and Bidara, as well as two Deva Kings.

The buildings constituting the Taiyū-in complex are fabulously decorated, especially the Yashamon and Nitenmon gates. Lacquered and gold-leaf-covered patterns adorn the walls and doors, and dragons and mythical creatures protect the gates and halls.

Like Toshogu, the complex’s buildings are distributed over several areas of varying altitudes and are accessible via beautiful moss-covered stone stairs.

For some reason, Taiyūin is much less visited than Toshogu. In fact, if you arrive around 8 AM, you will encounter very few other tourists. This makes Taiyūin an ideal destination not only for photography but also for enjoying this majestic place.

D. Shinkyō Bridge

Shinkyō Bridge can be seen in almost any tourist poster of Nikko, and, as is almost always the case, the pictures will most likely overrepresent the subject. The bridge is beautiful, and the river underneath it is gorgeous. The same can be said for the forest that surrounds it. But it is just that, an Instagrammable moment, at least for most tourists.

After you cross the road, you will see a beautiful, tiny shrine tucked between the trees on the right end of the bridge.

IV. Nature

The nature around Nikko is just as fascinating as its temples and shrines. The most popular destinations for nature lovers are Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. Expect to spend a day visiting these two attractions. There will be some walking, so you need snacks and comfortable shoes.

Chuzenji and Kegon are accessible from Nikko by bus. To avoid the hassle of buying tickets every time you hop on a bus, you can buy a two—or four-day Nikko Pass.

Naturally, I was hoping to see autumn hues in the forest trees around Chuzenji, but as in other places, October was way too early. There were hints of yellow and orange in some areas, though.

Make sure to pack a wide-angle and a telephoto zoom with you. Although I had a tabletop tripod on me, I never used it during that day.

A. Akechidaira Ropeway Observation Deck

On your way to Chuzenji, make sure to stop by the Akechidaira Ropeway Observation Deck. The cable car takes visitors to a nearby summit from which they can view both Chuzenji and Kegon from a farther distance. The view from the summit is well worth the stop.

From the Akechidaira observation deck, looking towards Chuzenji, you can see the town, lake, Kegon Falls, and Mount Nantai in one grand vista. Looking the opposite way, you can see a series of beautiful mountains stretching all the way to the horizon.

B. Lake Chuzenji

Lake Chuzenji sits at the foot of Mount Nantai, Nikko’s sacred volcano. Picturesque scenes of forests and mountains surround it from all sides, and it is attractive in autumn. You can walk on either side of the lake up until you arrive at the undeveloped areas of the shores. A ferry picks up passengers from around the lake and stops at various points around the lake.

Whether you start early or late from Nikko, you are most likely to arrive at Chuzenji when the light is harshest. A circular polarizing filter is exceptionally convenient in this situation.

The streets around the lake have some coloured houses in the Japanese style. On the eastern side of Chuzenji, we have Chūzen-ji Temple, while on the northern side sits Nikkō Mt. Futara Shinto shrine. From Futara Shrine, there is a pathway up Mt Nantai, which requires around three hours of hiking.

I found the eastern side of Chuzenji more interesting. The street connecting Chūzen-ji Temple with the town’s main entrance (where the Tachiki Kannon bus station is) was particularly fascinating, with its beautifully designed traditional souvenir shops and houses, which end at the temple entrance.

C. Kegon Falls

In autumn in the Nikko area, the sun sets around 5 p.m., and very soon, we run out of time to tour Lake Chuzenji. Since we ended up going to both sides, we spent considerable time at the lake, and we had very little time left (maybe one hour) to see Kegon Falls.

Luckily, Kegon Falls, or more specifically, the viewing deck, is about a 7-minute walk from Tachiki Kannon Bus Station. Even late in the evening, it might be a bit crowded, but we managed to take some pictures. (I vaguely remember seeing a sign that said no tripods, but I am not sure.)

V. Nikko Autumn Grand Festival

The Nikko Autumn Grand Festival was the highlight of my stay in Nikko. At the same time, all three festivals—the Nikko Autumn Festival, the Kawagoe Autumn Festival, and the Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto—were most certainly the shining stars of my Japan trip.

The Autumn Grand Festival lasts two days. On the first day, visitors can watch the Yabusame, or ritual horse archery, while on the next day, they can view a parade of 1,000 samurai.

When you arrive, make sure to visit the Tourist Information Centre at Tobu-Nikko Station. The staff is very friendly and speaks good English. They will most likely provide you with a map of the festival route and any valuable information.

The festival is held at Toshogu Shrine twice a year. In October, the festival includes:

• Yabusame is a Shinto ritual where horse archers fire arrows at targets from atop galloping horses.
• Togyosai, called “Hyakumonozoroi Sennin Musha Gyoretsu,” is a reenactment of the burial procession of Tokugawa Ieyasu, which started in Sunpu Kuno-zan and ended in Nikko.

Here are some tips to get the most out of these two days.

A. Yabusame (Ritual Horse Archery)

In 2024, the track where horses perform the ritual started at the Omotesando road, which goes past Rinno-ji Temple and leads up to Toshogu Shrine. There is plenty of space for standing, but it will be best to arrive early to pick a great spot.

The ritual starts in the square area in front of the Toshogu shrine gate and the pagoda. The horse archers participating in the ritual will be present, along with their attendants and other “officials” of a bygone era. The volunteers in full samurai attire will arrive on the scene gradually, and you can take amazing portraits while they prepare.

Each archer performs about three times; the horse starts at the bottom of the ramp and gallops its way up while the archer attempts to hit an objective on their left.

The ritual typically starts around 11 AM, but it is best to arrive one or two hours before to get some solo shots without the crowds. Most of the visitors will be Japanese. Everybody is incredibly polite and respectful. The museum at Rinno-ji temple and its cafeteria and restrooms are just a few meters away.

B. Samurai Procession

The Togyosai, or samurai procession, is organized along the same lines as the Yabusame. It begins at Toshogu Shrine and heads to Otabisho. After some time, it returns to the shrine on the same route. While the procession might progress slowly, giving photographers plenty of time to capture their pictures, the sheer number of participants will make it daunting. One of the things that I struggled with was having multiple faces in the frame and the camera getting lost in the focus.

The first procession is the busiest, with most people crowded at or close to the entrance to Toshogu. The crowds ease a bit during the return.

VI. Concluding Remarks

Nikko was a huge positive surprise. The weather was sunny and pleasant throughout the stay. Although it was October, no autumn colours could be found. The temples and the Autumn Festival were terrific. In fact, if you are on a tight schedule and unable to visit Kyoto or if the Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto does not fall within your schedule, I would say skip Kyoto and the crowds altogether and have a fantastic time in Nikko.