Tobu sells two passes for foreign visitors: the NIKKO PASS World Heritage Area, 3,000 yen for two days, covering a return trip from Asakusa and the buses around the shrines, and the All Area, 8,000 yen for four days, adding the buses to Lake Chuzenji and Yumoto and the lake cruise. Neither includes the limited express supplement or shrine tickets.
Both passes are for travellers with a passport issued outside Japan, and Japanese nationals travelling with them. Both include one return trip between Asakusa and Shimo-Imaichi and Tobu trains between Shimo-Imaichi, Tobu-Nikko and Shin-Fujiwara, which covers Kinugawa Onsen. Prices are Tobu's from April 2025.
| World Heritage Area | All Area | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 3,000 yen adult, 1,500 yen child | 8,000 yen adult, 4,000 yen child |
| Valid | 2 days | 4 days |
| Train | Return Asakusa to Shimo-Imaichi; Tobu lines to Tobu-Nikko and Shin-Fujiwara | The same |
| Buses | Tobu buses in the World Heritage area | All Tobu buses in Nikko, including Lake Chuzenji and Yumoto |
| Lake Chuzenji cruise | No | Yes, mid April to 30 November |
| Also | Discounts at sights and shops | Edo Wonderland shuttle, one day-use onsen at the Nikko Astraea Hotel, discounts |
The limited express supplement on Tobu's Spacia and Revaty trains is extra, as are seat reservations on the SL Taiju steam train. Shrine and temple tickets, Edo Wonderland and Tobu World Square entry are not included.
The passes are sold up to a month before the first day, online as digital tickets, or at the Tobu tourist information centre in Asakusa and two Tobu hotels in Ginza.
The World Heritage Area pass suits a one or two-day trip to the shrines from Asakusa: the return train fare is close to the price of the pass, so it pays once you add a couple of bus rides. The All Area pass pays when you go up to Lake Chuzenji or Yumoto and back, or take the lake cruise, and stay two days or more; for a day trip to the shrines only, it is too much.
If you have a Japan Rail Pass, use the JR route instead: shinkansen to Utsunomiya and the JR Nikko Line, then pay for the local buses, which the JR pass does not cover.
For one day with the shrines and the lake, a coach day from Tokyo costs about the same as the train, bus and shrine ticket together and saves the planning.
Which Nikko tour should you book? Every day trip from Tokyo compared
The best-selling coach day from Ginza: Toshogu with a guide, Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji.
Departs from Ginza, Tokyo · 10.5 hours
✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
A coach day from Shinjuku with a licensed English guide and the Toshogu ticket included.
Departs from Shinjuku, Tokyo · 10 hours
✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
A budget coach day from Shinjuku or Tokyo with three hours of free time at Toshogu, the Irohazaka, Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.
Departs from Shinjuku or Tokyo · 10.5 hours
✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Our take on each: Nikko day trip from Tokyo: Toshogu, Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji · Nikko guided bus tour from Shinjuku, with the Toshogu ticket · Budget Nikko bus tour from Tokyo with three hours at Toshogu.
The World Heritage Area pass usually is for a trip from Asakusa to the shrines. The All Area pass pays only if you go up to Lake Chuzenji or Yumoto, use the boat, and stay two days or more.
No. Buy the limited express supplement separately for Spacia or Revaty trains.
No. Shrine and temple tickets are separate.
Yes, on the JR route via Utsunomiya to JR Nikko Station; not on Tobu trains from Asakusa.
Sources: tobu.co.jp, tobu.co.jp, mynewsdesk.com. Checked October 2026.