Nikko full-day private walking tour from Tokyo

Highlights

• Toshogu shrine
• Mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Nikko National Park
• Lake Chuzenji
• Romantic Road

All about the trip

This value-packed trip with a nationally-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Nikko!

If you are staying in Tokyo but would like to take some time out to enjoy some sights outside the big city, then this tour of Nikko is for you! Your private guide will help you efficiently spend a full-day walking tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are many reasons why Nikko is a must-see stop during your stay in Japan. Your private guide will help you efficiently escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo on a full-day tour of this historic, beautiful town.

Your guide will start your day with a morning pick-up at your hotel. Possible stops in Nikko include the iconic Toshogu shrine, mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate; Nikko National Park, offering scenic, mountainous landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, hot springs, and wild monkeys; and Lake Chuzenji, known for its breathtaking autumn leaves. Nikko is one of Japan’s most stunning nature reserves, situated on the incredibly scenic―and hard to reach on your own―Romantic Road.

Let us know what special requests you have for the day and we will customize your itinerary in advance!

Note 1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.

Note 2: This special tour will be conducted with a public transportation and cruising taxi as stated in the tour information, NOT including private vehicle. Your guide will pick you up at the meeting point on foot. If you need a private vehicle, please feel free to ask us and we will estimate an additional cost for you.

Note´3: The Nationally-licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government and requires good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Understand why “Don’t say ‘magnificent’ until you’ve seen Nikko” visiting the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and nearby shrines and temple. The most renowned shrine of “the Shrines and Temples of Nikko”-a Japan’s leading world heritage, is where Ieyasu Tokugawa, the great Shogun who started the flourishing Edo Period, is enshrined. Most of the shrine complex you see today was rebuilt in the 17th century. The shrine contains 55 buildings including 8 national treasures and 34 listed buildings. The highlights are sumptuous carvings lacquered and richly colored brilliantly, which you will gaze at craftsmanship assembled from all over the country. Do not miss the symbol of peace “Sleeping Cat”, and the “Three Monkeys” with the “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil” poses!

The Nikko National Park is one of the parks that designated as the first National Parks in Japan. The park has a cornucopia of natural superb views, from beautiful and unspoiled nature in the Oku-Nikko district to the marsh registered under the Ramsar Convention, mountains represented by Mt. Nikko Shirane, the highest mountain in the area north of Kanto, lakes, and marshes, valleys and falls. In addition, Onsen resources, gifts from the nature, are abundant in the park. Enjoy magnificent nature in the city of Nikko where the National Park occupies most of it.

Kegon Waterfall is the most famous of Nikko’s 48 waterfalls. Water from Lake Chuzenji falls 97 meters straight down to the rocks below creating a dynamic and artistic work of nature. A special lift takes visitors to the basin where the force and roar of the water can be witnessed close up! Impressive in any season, the waterfall looks particularly spectacular when surrounded by the fresh green leaves in May, house martins in June, or the “12 falls” - small streams of the frozen waterfall clad in blue ice - during January and February.

Lake Chuzenji is the largest lake in Tochigi, framed by 25 kilometers of incredible nature. The area used to be a popular summer resort for foreigners in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The villas of French and Belgian embassies can still be found here. You can enjoy seasonal charms by the lake. Walking trails surround the water’s edge and there is an excursion boat available on the lake. The views from the lake are spectacular, particularly when the cherry blossoms or azaleas are blooming or when the autumn leaves are turning. The “Koyo-meguri” tour, enjoying autumn leaves reflecting on the lake, is highly recommended.

What is included in the price

• Licensed local guide
• Free photos
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off

What is not included in the price

• Food and drinks
• Other personal expenses
• Entrance fee (for you and your guide)
• Private transportation
• Transportation fee (for yourself and your guide)

Instructions

Infant seats available.

Animals or pets allowed.

Public transportation nearby.

Infants must not sit on laps.

Wheelchair accessible.

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel or anywhere else in Tokyo.

This activity is organised by Japan Guide Agency, Ejirihigashi2 67-3, Shizuoka City, 424-0815, Japan, booking@j-g-a.org.