Nikkō

Nikkō (Japanese: 日光市) is a town in Tochigi Prefecture, about 140 km north of Tokyo. It has a history that goes back 1,200 years, and is today a popular destination for both local and foreign tourists to Japan. Nikkō is a city with a history going back 1,200 years. Many of its heritage buildings are today recognized as World Heritage Sites. Unlike temples elsewhere in Japan, which are known for being minimalist, those in Nikkō are often gaudily ornate, reflecting early Chinese influence.

The name Nikkō means "sunlight" in Japanese. It is where the mausoleum of the famous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu is located. Nikkō is also famous for its many onsens (hot springs) as well as waterfalls and scenic trails.

Sutra Library at Toshogu, Nikkō, Japan

Planning your trip to Nikkō

The most practical way to reach Nikkō is to take the train from Tokyo. The Tobu Nikkō Line links Nikkō to Tokyo's Tobu-Asakusa station. A morning service called Kegon departs Asakusa at 7:30 am in the morning and takes about 2 hours to reach Nikkō. You can buy the All Nikkō Pass (¥4400 for 4 days), the World Heritage Pass (¥3600 for 2 days) or the Kinugawa Themepark Pass (¥4000 for 2 days) which allows you a ride from Asakusa as well as other rides in Nikkō.

The All Nikkō Pass allows unlimited bus and train rides in the Nikkō and Kinugawa areas plus discount for entrance to nearby attractions, but not the entry to the shrines.

The World Heritage Pass covers the round trip to Nikkō and Kinugawa and includes entrance fees to the shrines. It also allows you to get discount for entering the Kinugawa Theme Park.

The Kinugawa Themepark Pass covers the round trip fare plus bus pass and admission to Tobu World Square.

Planning your travel within Nikkō

The Nikkō railway station is about 2 km from the shrines of Nikkō. You can get there by taking the Tobu Bus - alternatively you can walk.

World Heritage Site

Futara-san Shrine, Toshogu Shrine and Rinnoji Temple are inscribe as a World Heritage Site under the title of Shrines and Temples of Nikkō.

Rinnoji Taiyuin, Nikkō


Koka-mon Gate at Taiyuin, Rinnoji, Nikkō


Fujin at Taiyuin Reibyo, Nikkō

Places of Interest in Nikkō

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.