Three days in Tochigi: the lake or temples on day two?
For Nikko's temples and the waterfall, stay two nights in Nikko and visit Lake Chuzenji on day two. For Oya's underground quarry and gyoza, stay in Utsunomiya and take the JR Nikko Line to Toshogu on day two. Both use one hotel throughout: the Nikko itinerary starts and ends in Asakusa, and the Utsunomiya itinerary at Tokyo Station.
Choose an itinerary for 3 days / 2 nights
Add a waterfall and lakeside day between temple visits
Stay two nights near Nikko Station for temples, waterfall and lake. Start and end at Asakusa, with Toshogu on day one, Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji on day two and Rinnoji on the final day. The lake is a day trip, so accommodation does not change.
Add a waterfall and lakeside day between temple visits →3 days / 2 nights BStay in Utsunomiya and give Nikko a day
Stay two nights in Utsunomiya for Oya’s underground quarry, gyoza and Toshogu’s carvings. Start and end at Tokyo Station, with Oya History Museum on day one, a Nikko day trip on day two, and Gyoza Street and Kirasse on the final day. This itinerary does not visit the waterfall or lake.
Stay in Utsunomiya and give Nikko a day →Add a waterfall and lakeside day between temple visits
Stay two nights near Nikko Station for temples, waterfall and lake. Start and end at Asakusa, with Toshogu on day one, Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji on day two and Rinnoji on the final day. The lake is a day trip, so accommodation does not change.
Day 1
Focus on Toshogu on day one and stay near Nikko Station.
- Asakusa Station → Tobu-Nikko Station
Take a reserved-seat Liberty Kegon from Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko and alight there. Buy that day’s JPY 600 World Heritage bus pass at the station tourist centre.
Bus pass salesBus timetables, boarding points and faresCurrent Tobu limited express timetable for Nikko
- Tobu-Nikko Station → Toshogu entrance · alight at Nishisando Iriguchi
Take YK towards Yumoto Onsen via Kotoku Onsen from Tobu-Nikko boarding point 2A to Nishisando Iriguchi (9). Follow signs for the western and main approaches for about ten minutes to Toshogu’s entrance, with time for admission queues.
Toshogu admission ticketsRinnoji visiting routeBus timetables, boarding points and faresTobu Bus routes and stops
- Toshogu → Visit Toshogu, then have lunch
Visit with the JPY 1,600 Toshogu-only ticket, then have lunch and a rest. Return to Nishisando Iriguchi (9)’s station-bound stop.
Toshogu admission ticketsBus timetables, boarding points and fares
- Nishisando Iriguchi → Tobu-Nikko Station
Take YK towards JR Nikko from Nishisando Iriguchi (9)’s station-bound stop and alight at Tobu-Nikko.
Distinguish day one’s World Heritage day pass from the Chuzenji Onsen two-day pass starting the next day.
Day 2
Visit Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji, then return to the Nikko station area.
- Tobu-Nikko station tourist centre → Tobu-Nikko bus boarding point
After breakfast, buy the JPY 2,300 Chuzenji Onsen two-day pass at the station tourist centre and start using it that day. At the time checked, the centre opened at 08:20. Choose a bus from the timetable for your date, allowing time to queue for the pass and walk to the boarding point. For mobile purchases, check the conditions for specifying a use date.
- Tobu-Nikko Station → Chuzenji Onsen terminal
Take YK towards Yumoto Onsen via Kotoku Onsen from Tobu-Nikko to Chuzenji-onsen · 中禅寺温泉 (26). Boarding point 2A was in use at the time checked. Allow for autumn foliage-season traffic.
- Chuzenji Onsen terminal → Kegon Falls viewing platform
Follow Kegon Falls signs east from the terminal for approximately five minutes to lift reception. Descend by lift to the paid viewing platform. The adult return fare is JPY 600. No reservations are accepted, so allow time to queue.
Bus timetables, boarding points and faresGetting to Kegon Falls facilitiesKegon Falls tickets and opening hours
- Kegon Falls → Eat and prepare for the next journey
Have lakeside lunch after the waterfall. Check that day’s shop opening and queues.
- Large lakeside torii → Lake Chuzenji public lakeside walk
Follow the official map along the public lakeside path from the large torii towards Sunrise Pier (サンライズピア) and Sunset Pier (サンセットピア), then return the same way. This excludes cruises, paid Chuzenji Temple visits and Mount Nantai climbs. It does not circle the whole lake.
- Lake Chuzenji public lakeside → Chuzenji Onsen terminal · station-bound boarding point
Allow time to return to the stop and wait. Boarding point 26B towards JR Nikko and Tobu-Nikko was in use at the time checked. Check your date’s official information and signs on site; distinguish Yumoto-bound 26A.
Bus timetables, boarding points and faresBus stop 26B change notice
- Chuzenji Onsen terminal → Tobu-Nikko Station
Take YK towards JR Nikko from Chuzenji Onsen and alight at Tobu-Nikko. Stay another night near Nikko Station, without connecting directly to your return limited express.
Use the Chuzenji Onsen two-day pass that day and the next. Choose a return bus allowing for weather suspensions at the falls and lift queues.
Day 3
Visit Rinnoji’s Sanbutsudo and Taiyuin, then return to Asakusa.
- Tobu-Nikko Station → Sanbutsudo entrance · alight at Nishisando Iriguchi
The two-day Chuzenji pass started yesterday also covers Sannai that day; do not buy an additional JPY 600 pass. Take C towards Chuzenji Onsen from Tobu-Nikko to Nishisando Iriguchi (9). Boarding point 2C was in use at the time checked; check the operator’s information for your travel date and signs on site. Follow western and main approaches towards Sanbutsudo and allow time to reach the entrance and queue for admission.
Bus pass salesRinnoji tickets, prices and seasonal admission deadlinesRinnoji visiting routeBus timetables, boarding points and fares
- Sanbutsudo entrance → Visit Sanbutsudo and Taiyuin
Buy the JPY 900 Sanbutsudo and Taiyuin combined ticket in the morning, visit Sanbutsudo and follow the official map on foot to Taiyuin. April–October ticket sales close at 14:30; check other seasonal cut-offs for your date. On restricted Sanbutsudo dates, adjust to available visiting hours. See the attraction guide and temple event notices for dated restrictions.
Rinnoji tickets, prices and seasonal admission deadlinesRinnoji visiting route
- Nishisando Iriguchi → Tobu-Nikko Station
Board C or YK towards JR Nikko at Nishisando Iriguchi (9)’s station-bound side and alight at Tobu-Nikko. Do not continue to the JR Nikko terminus.
- Tobu-Nikko Station → Asakusa Station
Board your reserved-seat Liberty Kegon towards Asakusa at Tobu-Nikko. Check the departure board for that day’s platform.
Bus timetables, boarding points and faresCurrent Tobu limited express timetable for Nikko
Use yesterday’s two-day pass for Sannai. Check temple ticket cut-offs and your return limited express together.
Costs included in the calculation: Return Tobu limited express JPY 6,100 + day-one World Heritage pass JPY 600 + Chuzenji Onsen two-day pass for days two and three JPY 2,300 + Toshogu JPY 1,600 + Rinnoji Sanbutsudo and Taiyuin combined ticket JPY 900 + Kegon Falls lift JPY 600 = JPY 12,100.
Extra costs: Accommodation, meals, airport travel and access to Asakusa Station, cruises, museums, Treasure Hall, additional shrine visits and luggage-storage charges are extra.
These costs were calculated from prices checked on 8 October 2026. Tobu limited express uses a JPY 3,050 regular-season one-way reference. Chuzenji Onsen pass covers day-three Sannai buses, so another JPY 600 pass is not added. Walk the described public lakeside path. Check seasonal fares, booking conditions, admission and discounts for your travel dates.
Limited express supplementSeasonal faresBus timetables, boarding points and faresBus pass salesToshogu admission ticketsRinnoji tickets, prices and seasonal admission deadlinesKegon Falls tickets and opening hours
Stay in Utsunomiya and give Nikko a day
Stay two nights in Utsunomiya for Oya’s underground quarry, gyoza and Toshogu’s carvings. Start and end at Tokyo Station, with Oya History Museum on day one, a Nikko day trip on day two, and Gyoza Street and Kirasse on the final day. This itinerary does not visit the waterfall or lake.
Day 1
Visit Oya History Museum and stay in Utsunomiya.
- Tokyo Station → JR Utsunomiya Station, west side
Take an ordinary Utsunomiya Line train from Tokyo towards Utsunomiya and alight there. Use an ordinary car, without Green Car travel. Buy the JPY 2,200 Oya sightseeing day pass at tourist information beside the ordinary-train gates.
Oya pass coverage and sales hoursPrices, access and visitor restrictionsCurrent JR station timetables: select the month and operating date
- JR Utsunomiya Station → Shiryokan-iriguchi stop · Oya History Museum
Take route 45 towards Tateiwa via Oya from Utsunomiya west-side stop 6 to Shiryokan-iriguchi. Walk about five minutes to enter the museum.
Oya pass coverage and sales hoursPrices, access and visitor restrictionsOutbound bus stop 6 and weekday timetableKanto Bus current route and timetable selection
- Oya History Museum → Visit the underground quarry, then have lunch
Visit the museum, then have lunch above ground. Admission is included in the Oya pass, so do not pay JPY 1,000 again. The Oya-ji benefit is unused.
Oya pass coverage and sales hoursPrices, access and visitor restrictions
- Shiryokan-iriguchi stop → JR Utsunomiya Station, west side
Take route 01 towards Utsunomiya Station from the station-bound side of Shiryokan-iriguchi.
Oya pass coverage and sales hoursPrices, access and visitor restrictionsReturn weekday timetableKanto Bus current route and timetable selection
Museum admission is included in the Oya pass; do not add it separately.
Day 2
Take the JR Nikko Line for a Toshogu outing, then return to Utsunomiya in the evening.
- JR Utsunomiya Station → JR Nikko Station
Take a Nikko-bound JR Nikko Line train from Utsunomiya and alight at JR Nikko. Choose a service reaching Nikko rather than terminating at Kanuma.
Current JR station timetables: select the month and operating date
- JR Nikko Station → Tobu-Nikko Station · station tourist centre
Follow National Route 119 on the official map outside JR Nikko to Tobu-Nikko. Buy that day’s JPY 600 World Heritage pass at the tourist centre. Have lunch nearby, then head to boarding point 2A.
- Tobu-Nikko Station → Toshogu entrance · alight at Nishisando Iriguchi
Take YK towards Yumoto Onsen via Kotoku Onsen from Tobu-Nikko boarding point 2A to Nishisando Iriguchi (9). Follow main approach signs for approximately ten minutes to the entrance and allow time to queue for admission.
Rinnoji visiting routeBus timetables, boarding points and fares
- Toshogu → Visit Toshogu and walk to a station-bound stop
Use the JPY 1,600 Toshogu-only ticket for Yomeimon, Three Wise Monkeys and Sleeping Cat carvings. Descend the west approach afterwards to Nishisando Iriguchi (9)’s station-bound stop. Other temple tickets are excluded.
Toshogu admission ticketsRinnoji visiting routeBus timetables, boarding points and faresToshogu's Yomeimon Gate, Three Wise Monkeys and Sleeping Cat
- Nishisando Iriguchi → JR Utsunomiya Station · walk from Tobu-Nikko to JR Nikko to change trains
Take C or YK for JR Nikko from the station-bound side of Nishisando Iriguchi (9) and get off at Tobu-Nikko. Walk along National Route 119 to JR Nikko, then board a JR Nikko Line train for Utsunomiya. Allow time for the walk between stations and for reaching the platform.
Bus timetables, boarding points and faresCurrent JR station timetables: select the month and operating date
JR Nikko and Tobu-Nikko are separate stations. Choose your return JR train with time for the bus down from the temple, then the station walk.
Day 3
Walk Gyoza Street and eat at Kirasse’s main store, then return to Tokyo Station.
- JR Utsunomiya Station, west side → Gyoza Street walk
Walk from JR Utsunomiya’s west side to Gyoza Street, officially listed at about 15 minutes. Explore signs and lanes and check individual shop hours.
Getting to Gyoza StreetCity tourism organisation's food walking route
- Gyoza Street → Eat gyoza at Kirasse’s main store
Order and compare gyoza in Kirasse’s main-store daily rotating area, basement of MEGA Don Quijote La Park. Recorded hours are daily 11:00–21:00, last orders 20:30; distinguish weekday closures among the five permanent shops. Finish eating with time to return to the station.
- Kirasse main store → JR Utsunomiya Station West Exit
After eating, return above ground and walk back to JR Utsunomiya Station West Exit.
City tourism organisation's food walking routeKirasse Main Store opening hours
- JR Utsunomiya Station → Tokyo Station
Choose an ordinary train via Tokyo Station from Utsunomiya and alight at Tokyo. Check that it stops there and distinguish services via Shinjuku.
Current JR station timetables: select the month and operating date
Choose an ordinary train stopping at Tokyo Station and distinguish services via Shinjuku.
Costs included in the calculation: Tokyo–Utsunomiya return JR JPY 4,180 + Oya day pass JPY 2,200 + two JPY 810 Utsunomiya–Nikko JR fares + World Heritage pass JPY 600 + Toshogu JPY 1,600 = JPY 10,200.
Extra costs: Accommodation, gyoza and other meals, travel to Tokyo Station, Green Car travel, additional visits and luggage-storage charges are extra.
These costs were calculated from prices checked on 8 October 2026. Unreserved travel in an ordinary car on the Nikko Line requires no limited express supplement. Use the Oya pass on day one and World Heritage pass on day two; the final day is on foot. Check seasonal fares, booking conditions, admission and discounts for your travel dates.
Revised JR fare tableOya pass coverage and sales hoursNikko tourism organisation's 2026 revised fare table: JR Nikko Line JPY 810Bus pass salesToshogu admission tickets
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a one-day bus pass to visit the waterfall from Nikko?
The JPY 600 World Heritage day pass covers the Sannai shrine and temple area; it does not cover buses to Chuzenji Onsen. The two-night A itinerary uses the JPY 2,300 Chuzenji Onsen two-day pass for the return trip to the waterfall and lake on day two and the temple buses on day three. The JPY 600 Kegon Falls lift fee is separate.
Bus pass salesBus timetables, boarding points and faresGetting to Kegon Falls facilitiesKegon Falls tickets and opening hours
Does this itinerary board and return by bus at JR Nikko Station?
After arriving at JR Nikko from Utsunomiya, walk along National Route 119 to Tobu-Nikko Station to board the bus. On the way back, get off the bus at Tobu-Nikko and walk to JR Nikko. These are separate stations, so check your bus stop and the Nikko Line boarding point.
Bus timetables, boarding points and faresNikko tourism organisation's 2026 revised fare table: JR Nikko Line JPY 810
Official sources and check dates
- Limited express supplement ·
- Seasonal fares ·
- Bus timetables, boarding points and fares ·
- Bus pass sales ·
- Rinnoji visiting route ·
- Revised JR fare table ·
- Oya pass coverage and sales hours ·
- Outbound bus stop 6 and weekday timetable ·
- Return weekday timetable ·
- Getting to Gyoza Street ·
- City tourism organisation's food walking route ·
- Kirasse Main Store opening hours ·
- Getting to Kegon Falls facilities ·
- Kegon Falls tickets and opening hours ·
- Official lake and waterfall walking map ·
- Bus stop 26B change notice ·
- Rinnoji tickets, prices and seasonal admission deadlines ·
- Toshogu admission tickets ·
- Tobu Bus routes and stops ·
- Prices, access and visitor restrictions ·
- Nikko tourism organisation's 2026 revised fare table: JR Nikko Line JPY 810 ·
- Current JR station timetables: select the month and operating date ·
- Kanto Bus current route and timetable selection ·
- Current Tobu limited express timetable for Nikko ·
- Toshogu's Yomeimon Gate, Three Wise Monkeys and Sleeping Cat ·