Things to do in Nikko: shrines, waterfalls, lakes, boats and onsen

The shrines and temples of Nikko are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Toshogu is the reason most people come: the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, covered in carving and gold leaf, with the Yomeimon gate, the three monkeys on the sacred stable and the sleeping cat over the passage to his tomb. Rinnoji's great hall, the Sanbutsudo, holds three tall gilded Buddhas, and Futarasan is the older, quieter shrine to the mountain gods.

Allow half a day for the three. Each has its own ticket; Toshogu's is 1,600 yen for adults at the gate, or can be bought ahead and exchanged at Tobu-Nikko Station.

The vermilion Shinkyo Bridge over the Daiya river marks the entrance to the shrine area and is the photograph of Nikko. About 20 to 30 minutes' walk upstream, the Kanmangafuchi abyss is a riverside path lined with a long row of moss-covered stone Jizo in red caps, the Narabi Jizo; it is free, quiet and lovely in rain or snow.

The Tamozawa Imperial Villa, a summer residence of the imperial family with more than a hundred rooms, is on the way and worth an hour.

Up the 48 hairpins of the Irohazaka road, Lake Chuzenji lies at the foot of Mount Nantai, and Kegon Falls drops 97 metres from its eastern end. The free upper viewpoint is a short walk from the bus stop; a lift goes down to a platform at the foot of the falls for a fee.

The lake shore has the old summer villas of foreign embassies, open to visit, and the Chugushi shrine. The bus takes about 50 minutes from the stations, or join a tour that does the shrines and the lake in one day.

Sightseeing boats run on Lake Chuzenji from mid April to 30 November, with a round trip of the lake and piers where you can get off, including Senjugahama on the far shore, which you cannot reach by car. In mid to late October the boat is the best way to see the colour on the slopes that drop into the water.

Tickets are sold at the pier by Chuzenjiko Kisen, the Tobu company that runs the boats; the cruise is also included in Tobu's NIKKO PASS All Area. The boats are not sold on GetYourGuide.

At Kinugawa Onsen, flat wooden boats steered by boatmen with poles run down the Kinugawa gorge for about 40 minutes, through rapids and past the rock walls the town is known for. The boats run from April to late November, the boarding point is a short walk from Kinugawa-Onsen Station, and a free bus brings you back.

Pair it with a night in one of Kinugawa's onsen hotels, or with Edo Wonderland nearby.

Above the lake, Ryuzu Falls slides down through the forest in two streams, and Senjogahara is a high marsh of grass and larch under the mountains with a boardwalk across it. The classic walk runs from Ryuzu across Senjogahara to Yudaki Falls and Lake Yunoko, about three hours, ending at Yumoto Onsen, where milky sulphur water comes out of the ground.

Buses link every point, so you can walk one way and ride back. Yumoto and Senjogahara turn first in autumn, from early October.

Edo Wonderland, near Kinugawa Onsen, is a rebuilt town of the Edo period with ninja shows, the oiran procession, samurai lessons and staff in costume: a full day out, and the best one in the area with children. In Nikko town, a private tea ceremony in kimono in a tatami room by the river is a calm hour and works in any weather.

Nikko has hot springs at every level: simple baths in town, the lakeside hotels at Chuzenji, milky sulphur at Yumoto and the big riverside hotels of Kinugawa. Most ryokan open their baths to guests only; a room with its own open-air bath is the way to bathe in private.