Nikko town
Stay by the shrines and you can be at Toshogu before the coaches arrive from Tokyo. Nikko town runs for two kilometres from the JR and Tobu stations up to the Shinkyo Bridge: inns and ryokan line the river, and the Kirifuri and Tamozawa areas add quieter resorts a short drive out.
9 hotels, including Toshogu and Shinkyo Bridge and Nikko stations and Kirifuri. Listed by classification, then size; not a ranking.
Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko town · 4 stars · 63 rooms
Japan’s oldest classic resort hotel, opened in 1873 above the Shinkyo Bridge; for travellers who want history, French cooking and the shrines on foot.
From £83 a night
Daiya river, Nikko town · Ryokan
A ryokan above the Daiya gorge with a rooftop view bath and rooms with their own open-air bath; for couples who want dinner and a soak.
Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko town · Ryokan
A traditional family-style ryokan by the Shinkyo Bridge, with a hot-spring bath, a private bath to book and dinner; for a classic first ryokan night.
Yasukawa-cho, Nikko town · Ryokan
An onsen ryokan a short walk from Toshogu, with rooms that have their own open-air bath; the best private-bath stay by the shrines.
From £148 a night
JR Nikko Station, Nikko town · 3.5 stars
A practical hotel opposite JR Nikko Station with its own hot-spring baths, indoor and open-air; the easy base for trains and buses.
From £86 a night
Kirifuri Highlands, Nikko town · 3.5 stars
A big onsen resort in the Kirifuri Highlands above Nikko, with dinner and breakfast and suites with their own open-air bath; for families and drivers.
From £203 a night
Tokorono, Nikko town · 3 stars
A simple, modern room-only hotel on the edge of Nikko with free parking; for drivers who want a clean room and to eat out.
From £82 a night
Takumi-cho, Nikko town · Guesthouse
A small, long-running guesthouse in a quiet street west of the shrines, with a hot-spring bath and cheap twins; for budget travellers.
From £62 a night
Tamozawa, Nikko town · Luxury ryokan · 24 rooms
A small luxury ryokan where every one of the 24 suites has its own hot-spring bath from the inn’s own source; for a special night in Nikko.
From £915 a night
Tobu limited expresses from Asakusa run to Tobu-Nikko Station in about two hours; JR travellers change from the shinkansen at Utsunomiya to the Nikko Line. From either station it is about 2 kilometres up the main road to the Shinkyo Bridge: 30 minutes on foot or a few minutes on the Tobu buses.
Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple and Futarasan Shrine in the cedar forest above the Shinkyo Bridge; the Kanmangafuchi abyss and its stone Jizo; the Tamozawa Imperial Villa; and the Kirifuri Highlands to the north.
Arrive at Toshogu when it opens to see the carvings before the tour coaches. Many ryokan serve dinner at a fixed time and need you to check in by early evening on dinner-inclusive rates.
Nikko town if the shrines are the point of the trip and you arrive by train; Lake Chuzenji if you want the lake, Kegon Falls and quiet evenings. With two nights, one of each works well.
Yes. It is about 2 kilometres uphill along the main street, around 30 to 40 minutes on foot. Buses run the same way every few minutes.
Sources: tobu.co.jp, nikko-stationhotel.jp.
