Things to Do in Nikko, Japan
I still remember my first glimpse of the richly painted, gold inlaid buildings of Toshogu Shrine, and the way the mountain air in Nikko caught my breath. Set in the hills north of Tokyo, Nikko is a town of towering cedars, ornate shrines, and dramatic waterfalls, and I have returned again and again. These are the experiences I never skip.
Wander Toshogu Shrine
Nikko’s crown jewel is the Toshogu Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the early seventeenth century to honor the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Unlike the austere shrines I had grown used to, this one is a riot of color, carved detail, and gold, set along a cypress shaded avenue. I always begin at the Five Storied Pagoda, then climb toward the ornate Yomeimon Gate, whose intricacy stops me every time. The details repay slow looking: the sleeping cat carving over the entrance to the inner sanctum, and the famous three wise monkeys, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Give this place hours, not minutes.
Follow the Nakiryu Dragon Painting
Inside the shrine’s upper hall, a single image often steals the show. The bell shaped ceiling features a painting of a crouching dragon, and the building is nicknamed the Nakiryu, or crying dragon, because when someone claps beneath it the hall produces a sharp, ringing echo like a cry. I clapped there, twice, and the effect genuinely gave me chills, the sound bouncing around the curved space as if the dragon itself were answering. It is a strange, delightful bit of architecture.
Cross the Sacred Shinkyo Bridge
At the entrance to Nikko’s shrine area, the brilliant red Shinkyo Bridge arches across the Daiya River, framed by green forest. Once reserved for the shogun and now open to visitors, it is atmospheric on any visit and especially pretty in autumn and winter snow. I have crossed it both in peak fall color and in a quiet dusting of snow, and it photographs beautifully either way. It is a lovely small stop on the walk between the town and the shrine.
Follow the Cedar Avenue and Kanmangafuchi
Beyond the shrines, I love walking the long cedar avenues planted centuries ago. One of my favorites is the path toward Kanmangafuchi, a gorge lined with a striking row of stone statues of Jizo, the guardian of travelers, each wearing a small red bib. I have wandered this peaceful riverside walk many times and always found it a calm counterpoint to the ornate shrines. The trees here are enormous, and in high season their shade is a gift.
See the Power of Kegon Falls
Just a bus ride up into the mountains, to the area around Lake Chuzenji, the Kegon Falls plunge nearly a hundred meters down a sheer rock face. I have stood on the viewing platform and felt the spray on my face, and in autumn the falls are framed by fiery leaves while in winter they partly freeze into a dramatic spectacle. A small elevator drops you to the viewing platform at the base, where the waterfall’s roar fills the narrow gorge. I consider it essential.
Drive the Irohazaka Way and the Lake
The switchback road up to Lake Chuzenji, the Irohazaka Way, is an experience in itself, its forty eight hairpin curves rising steeply through forest at different elevations. At the top, Lake Chuzenji, a crater lake formed by an ancient volcano, sits below the still smoking Mount Nantai. I have paddled its calm water in summer, watched the changing leaves reflect off it in autumn, and hiked along its shore toward a small wooden pier. It is a world away from the shrines, and worth the trip, with the mountain reflected in the still water on any clear day.
Eat, Stay, and Slow Down
Nikko has its own tempting food culture. Yuba, the delicate sheets of tofu skin, is the local speciality, served in slices and hot pots, and I have eaten versions I still think about. In the cooler seasons, hot soba and warm local sake round out a mountain meal. Wherever possible I stay at least one night in a ryokan, because after the day trippers leave, the cedar avenues and the evening cold are extraordinarily peaceful, and the onsen baths after a long walking day are pure pleasure.
A Nikko That Stays With You
Nikko rewards attention. Give the shrine its hours, let the carvings surprise you, ride up into the mountains for the falls and the lake, and slow down for the cedar-lined quiet. I have come back almost every time I am in Japan, and the town keeps handing me new details, a carving I missed, a trail I had not walked, a better season for the light. It is worth far more than a rushed stop.
