Nikko one of the most scenic places in Japan. Recently got a chance to visit due to autumn season. This is the best season to visit Nikko as it will be more colorful all around. Nikko is around 1.5-2 hours away from Tokyo by train. Train is the most convenient option to visit nikko. There are many trains like JR or limited express operates to Nikko. It is wise to start your journey early in the morning so most of the spots can be covered in day light.
I took a limited express train from Asakusa at 7:30 morning. (Tobu railways - Spacia) this train directly goes to Tobu-Nikko. Ticket for the train is one way 2700 yen. Once you reach Tobu-Nikko station you can see a counter where you get various bus passes. Most favourite pass is Chuzenji pass or world heritage pass. It comes for around 2100 or 3000 yen respectively. Bus pass is useful so that you can travel by bus any number of times. Also this pass is for 2 days so You can plan to stay as well if a day is not sufficient.
Outside station there are different food options and cafes available. You can grab a quick breakfast there and start your journey. First you take a bus to Shinkyo bridge. This is historical bridge with beautiful surrounding nature. It looks great in autumn. Then you can head to Toshogu shrine/Rinnaiji shrine which is just 7-8 mins walk from this bridge. Toshogu shrine has historical value and it is one of the biggest and richest shrine in Japan. All architectures are gold ornated. Easily you can spend an hour or two there by checking all possible entries and architectures. Outside shrine there are multiple food options. You can have a lunch there or you can choose a cafe. At around 12:30 you can start your further journey. Take a buas to yumoto onsen or chuzenji onsen to go to Akechidaira. There is a ropeway which takes you to high land observatory and you can have a beautiful scenic view from there. It takes around 30 mins to reach from Shinkyo bridge by bus. After spending some time at observatory you head towards chuzenji lake and kegon falls. Both places are near each other and scenic ones. Kegon falls is one of the top 3 falls in Japan and definitely the view will say everything. Water so so clear.. You can go to kegon observatory which is 100 m down and exactly front of the fall.
God has gifted Japan with beautiful nature. Everywhere you can see various shades of colour like red/yellow/orange/brown/green.. it really cools your eyes..The lake is also very big and surroundings are great for photos..there are small rides in the lake if one is interested.you can spend almost an hour and half and then head towards Ryuzu waterfalls. This is also a very good falls nearby. One need to travel by bus again to goto this falls.
If you want to skip this falls then there is another good attraction Irohazaka which is multiple curvy roads one can see. Again in autumn road is fully covered by different colours and you will love it.
Once you cover all these places it will be almost a night (not actually night but sunset) so you can start your reverse journey to Tobu nikko station by bus. There are limited express trains to Asakusa available till 20:00 so you can on the spot get tickets.
A must visit place in autumn. Really scenic and beauty of nature you can see here
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