Tochigi: how should you divide temples, gyoza and the lake?

Plan the bus after your visit around your return train

Asakusa return trips use Tobu limited expresses; routes from Tokyo or Utsunomiya use JR ordinary trains and the Nikko Line. JR Nikko and Tobu-nikko are separate stations. Four days B and five days A start at Tokyo Station and finish at Asakusa.

On lake-descent days, use Chuzenji Onsen terminal’s station-bound bus. Stand 26B was used when checked, distinct from Yumoto-bound 26A. Allow visit completion time and mountain-road traffic, then time at Tobu-nikko before your return limited express. Confirm bus and train operation and seat availability for your travel date through official searches.

Bus timetable, stands and fares2026-10-08Stand 26B change notice2026-10-08Current JR station timetables: select month and operating date2026-10-08Current Tobu Nikko limited-express timetable2026-10-09

Bus-pass days differ by itinerary

Two days A uses a World Heritage one-day pass on each day. Two days B uses the Oya pass on day one only. Three days A uses World Heritage on day one and Chuzenji Onsen on days two and three, without adding another Sannai bus pass. Three days B uses Oya on day one and World Heritage on day two.

Four days A uses World Heritage on each of the first two days and Chuzenji Onsen on days three and four. Four days B uses Oya on day one and Chuzenji Onsen on days three and four. Five days A uses Oya on day two, World Heritage on day three and Chuzenji Onsen on days four and five. Five days B uses World Heritage on each of the first two days and ordinary one-way lake bus fares on days three and five. After two nights by the lake, the return is outside one two-day pass’s validity.

World Heritage costs JPY 600 for adults and is valid that day; Chuzenji Onsen costs JPY 2,300 for two days. The JPY 2,200 Oya pass includes museum admission, so JPY 1,000 is not added again. Check sales conditions and coverage for your new travel dates.

Bus-pass sales2026-10-09Bus timetable, stands and fares2026-10-08Oya pass inclusions and sales hours2026-10-08

Distinguish rail passes from this guide’s bus passes

NIKKO PASS is for foreign travellers; accompanying Japanese nationals can also buy it. World Heritage is valid two days and ALL AREA four days. Both exclude limited-express supplements and shrine and temple admission. World Heritage alone does not cover Lake Chuzenji buses. One four-day pass cannot cover both a five-day trip’s Asakusa departure and final-day return.

JR journeys from Utsunomiya and Kanto buses to Oya differ from the Tobu pass’s Asakusa return coverage. These budgets use ordinary tickets and itinerary-specific bus passes; they are not pass-saving calculations or purchase quotes.

The JR Tokyo Wide Pass lasts three consecutive days from the chosen start date. Adult price is JPY 16,000, with an original passport issued outside Japan required; Temporary Visitor status is not required. Compare covered JR sections between Tokyo, Utsunomiya and Nikko and dates, but standalone Tobu-nikko–Asakusa limited expresses and buses to Oya and the lake are excluded. Compare eligibility to use a pass separately from whether it saves money on this route.

Tobu NIKKO PASS ALL AREA coverage, four-day validity and exclusions2026-10-09Tobu NIKKO PASS World Heritage coverage, two-day validity and exclusions2026-10-09JR EAST Tokyo Wide Pass three-day validity, coverage and standalone Tobu limited-express exclusion2026-10-09JR EAST pass eligibility and original passport2026-10-09