Side Trips from Tokyo - Tokyo - page 276

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trees in the 200,000-acre Nikko National Park. Another worthwhile sight is Nikko
Tamozawa Imperial Villa, built in 1899.
I've included a few recommendations for an overnight stay. Otherwise, you can see
Nikko in a very full day. Plan on 4 to 5 hours for round-trip transportation, 2 1 ⁄ 2 hours
for Toshogu Shrine and vicinity, and 1 hour for the Imperial villa.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE The easiest, fastest, and most luxurious way to get to Nikko is on
the privately owned Tobu Line's Limited Express, called the Spacia, which departs every
hour or more frequently from Tobu's Asakusa Station. The cost is ¥2,620 one-way for the
1-hour-and-50-minute trip on weekdays, and ¥2,720 on weekends and holidays (most
trains require a transfer at Shimo-Imaichi Station). All seats are reserved, which means
you are guaranteed a seat; if you're traveling on a holiday or a summer weekend, you may
wish to purchase and reserve your ticket in advance. Another plus is that there's usually
an English-speaking hostess on board who passes out pamphlets on the area and can
answer sightseeing questions about Nikko.
To save money, consider purchasing Tobu's World Heritage Pass, which provides
round-trip train travel between Asakusa and Nikko via Limited Express, unlimited bus
travel in Nikko, and admission to Toshogu Shrine (excluding Ieyasu's mausoleum),
Rinnoji Temple, and Futarasan Shrine. Cost of the pass, valid for 2 days and available
only to foreign visitors, is ¥3,600 for adults, ¥3,200 for senior high students, ¥3,000 for
junior high students, and ¥1,700 for children. You can purchase the pass online at www.
tobu.co.jp/foreign or at the Tobu Sightseeing Service Center at Asakusa Station
( & 03/3841-2871 ), open daily 7:45am to 5pm.
Otherwise, you can reach Nikko on Tobu's slower rapid train from Asakusa, which
costs ¥1,320 one-way and takes 2 hours and 10 minutes, with trains departing every hour
or more frequently. There is no reserved seating, which means you might have to stand
if trains are crowded.
You can also travel to Nikko via JR train. There are four trains a day from Shinjuku,
most requiring a change of trains in Shimo-Imaichi station for onward travel to Nikko.
Trips take about 2 hours. If you're visiting Mashiko (see later in this chapter), you can
save yourself the hassle of buying train tickets from different rail companies (Tobu and
JR) by taking the JR Utsunomiya Line (also called Tohoku Honsen Line) from Shinjuku,
Shibuya, or Ueno to JR Utsunomiya Station for the bus to Mashiko, and then continu-
ing onward from JR Utsunomiya Station to Nikko (the Tobu Line does not travel btw.
Utsunomiya and Nikko). Faster but more expensive is the Shinkansen bullet train from
Tokyo to Utsunomiya (there are departures every 20-40 min. and the trip takes about
55 min.), where you change for the train to Nikko (45 min.).
VISITOR INFORMATION Before leaving Tokyo, pick up the Nikko leaflet from the
Tourist Information Center (TIC). It gives the train schedule for both the Tobu Line,
which departs from Tobu's Asakusa Station, and JR trains that depart from Shinjuku
Station. The TIC also has color brochures with maps of the Nikko area.
Nikko's Tobu and JR stations are located almost side by side in the village's downtown
area. Nikko Tobu Station tourist information counter ( & 0288/53-4511; www.
nikko-jp.org; daily 8:30am-5pm), located inside Tobu Station, has staff who can give
you a map, answer basic questions, and point you in the right direction. You can also
make hotel and ryokan reservations here for ¥100. The Nikko Information Center
( & 0288/54-2496; daily 9am-5pm), located on the left side of the main road leading

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