Side Trips from Tokyo - Tokyo - page 277

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from the train station to Toshogu Shrine (next to Eneos gas station), has English-speak-
ing staff and lots of information in English about Nikko, including information on
public hot springs.
GETTING AROUND Toshogu Shrine and its mausoleum are on the edge of town, but
you can walk from either the JR or Tobu train stations to the shrine in about half an hour.
Head straight out the main exit, pass the bus stands, and then turn right. English-lan-
guage signs point the way throughout town. Keep walking on this main road (you'll pass
the Nikko Information Center about halfway down on the left side, as well as souvenir
shops) until you come to a T -intersection with a vermilion-colored bridge spanning a
river (about a 15-min. walk from the train stations). The stone steps opposite lead up the
hill into the woods and to Toshogu Shrine. You can also travel from Tobu Station by bus,
getting off at either the Shinkyo (a 7-min. ride) or Nishi Sando (a 10-min. ride) bus stop.

SEEING THE SIGHTS
ON THE WAY TO THE SHRINE The first indication that you're nearing the shrine is
the vermilion-painted Sacred Bridge (Shinkyo) arching over the rushing Daiyagawa
River. It was built in 1636, and for more than 3 centuries only shoguns and their emis-
saries were allowed to cross it. Today, you can cross it by paying ¥300, or you can take
the modern vehicular bridge for free.
Across the road from the Sacred Bridge, steps lead uphill into a forest of cedar where,
after a 5-minute walk, you'll see a statue of Shodo, a priest who founded Nikko 1,200
years ago at a time when mountains were revered as gods. In the centuries that followed,
Nikko became one of Japan's greatest mountain Buddhist retreats, with 500 subtemples
spread through the area. Behind Shodo is the first major temple, Rinnoji Temple, where
you can buy a combination ticket for ¥1,300 for adults, ¥450 for children; it allows
entry to Rinnoji Temple and its garden, Toshogu Shrine, neighboring Futarasan Shrine,
and the other Tokugawa mausoleum, Taiyuin. Once at Toshogu Shrine, you'll have to pay
an extra ¥520 to see Ieyasu's tomb. Combination tickets sold at the entry to Toshogu
Shrine already include Ieyasu's tomb. It doesn't really matter where you buy your combi-
nation ticket, since you can always pay the extra fee to see sights not covered. A note for
bus riders: If you take the bus to the Nishi Sando bus stop, the first place you'll come to
is the Taiyuin Mausoleum, where you can also purchase a combination ticket.
Toshogu Shrine and the other sights in Nikko Sannai are open daily April to October
from 8am to 5pm (to 4pm the rest of the year); you must enter at least 30 minutes before
closing time.
RINNOJI TEMPLE Rinnoji Temple ( & 0288/54-0531 ) was founded by the priest
Shodo in the 8th century, long before the Toshogu clan came onto the scene. Here you
can visit Sanbutsudo Hall, a large building that enshrines three 8.4m-high (28-ft.) gold-
plated wooden images of Buddha, considered the “gods of Nikko”; today people pray
here for world peace. Perhaps the best thing to see at Rinnoji Temple is Shoyo-en Gar-
den (opposite Sanbutsudo Hall). Completed in 1815 and typical of Japanese landscaped
gardens of the Edo Period, this small strolling garden provides a different vista with each
turn of the path, making it seem much larger than it is. Your ticket also gains entrance
to a small treasure house, where relics are displayed on a rotating basis.
TOSHOGU SHRINE The most important and famous structure in Nikko is
Toshogu Shrine ( & 0288/54-0560 ), built by Tokugawa's grandson (and third Tokugawa
shogun), Tokugawa Iemitsu, as an act of devotion. It seems that no expense was too great

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