Nikko Plans

First Day

Take shinkansen to Nikko

from Hamacho⁠

(11:30am) or

from Tokyo station⁠

(12pm)

Arrive in Nikko at about 1:45pm, taxi to the hotel (5 min) and get settled

Walk (10 min) to

nearby temples⁠

—most close at 4 or 5pm—then maybe bus or taxi to the main area of the station and then meander back to the hotel for dinner

Second Day

Eat breakfast at

Nikko Coffee⁠

, hotel, wherever

Grab snack provisions from Lawsons

⁠

Bus to Chuzenji-ko⁠

(50 min) which can be wind-y, so make sure we have Dramamine as needed

Yasukawamachi (安川町) stop → Tobu bus toward Yumoto Onsen (湯元温泉) → Chuzenjiko Stop

Explore Chuzenji and walk to Kegon falls

⁠

Bus to Ryuzu Falls⁠

(15 min)

Chuzenji Onsen (中禅寺温泉) stop → Tobu bus toward Yumoto Onsen → Ryuzu no Taki (竜頭ノ滝) Stop

Start

Senjogahara hike⁠

(1-2 hr)

From the Ryuzu-no-taki 竜頭ノ滝 bus stop, turn right and cross the road to get to Ryuzu Falls 竜頭ノ滝. Here there is a small restaurant and souvenir shop from where you can take a picture of the bottom of the falls.

To the right is a small shrine. Take the path on the left of the shrine to follow the falls to the top. It’s not a very tall waterfall, and it should only take about 10 minutes to reach the top.

From the top of Ryuzu Falls 竜頭ノ滝, cross the road and follow the path that runs along side the river. You will be walking in a lightly wooded area for about 10 minutes, until you reach another road. Cross this road and stick to the path that runs along the right hand bank of the river.

Continuing on, you will walk for another 10 minutes until you reach another alternative path to Oshirogahara 小田代原 (over the bridge). Follow the sign pointing to Akanuma 赤沼 for a short distance, and you will reach another sign post.

If you turn towards Yudaki 湯滝 you will enter the Senjogahara marsh 戦場ヶ原. This portion of the walk is all board walks. You’ll walk along the boardwalk for about 45 minutes until you reach a more wooded area and another sign post indicating another route to Oshirogahara 小田代原. Keep headed towards Yudaki 湯滝 and Yumoto 湯元, and after 10 minutes there will be a sign post pointing to Kotaku Pond 光徳沼. Again keep on to Yudaki 湯滝.

From this point you are leaving Senjogahara 戦場ヶ原, but will still be following the boardwalk alongside the Yugawa river 湯川.

20 minutes along the river you will reach Odaki Falls 小滝. From here you can take either path to Yudaki Falls 湯滝. The path to the left is 15 minutes, and 10 minutes to the right.

At Yudaki Falls 湯滝 there is a toilet and some small shops with food. Walk up the stairs on the right side of the falls to reach the top. At the top of the falls is Yunoko 湯ノ湖. You can walk around either side of Yunoko 湯ノ湖 to reach Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉. Both paths take 30 minutes.

Fly fish for a bit at Yunoko

⁠

Bus to hotel⁠

(1hr) and chill/onsen until dinner

Third Day

Take shinkansen or normal trains back to Tokyo around 10-11am (

2.5-3hrs from door to door⁠

)

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