To celebrate my move to Tokyo, I went on a trip around the Tokyo area with friends. I looked into a few options, and the easiest pick turned out to be Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. It’s about two hours away by car.
Shrines and temples of Nikko
The admission was crazy expensive and it was cold, so I just looked at the Toshogu shrine buildings from outside. They say there’s something quintessentially Japanese about their beauty, but I’ve been to so many places like this that they don’t really move me anymore.
The shrine’s main gate under snow
Winter is the off-season in Nikko. Most restaurants were closed for the winter.
A blizzard on a sunny day
The wind was fierce.
The entrance to Toshogu
Admission was way too expensive, so I just took a photo of the entrance and turned back.
The pagoda in front of Toshogu
I really missed my wide-angle lens.
The torii in front of Toshogu
It was cold, but at least the sun was blazing, which was a relief.
Forest and shrine
After Toshogu, I drove up to see the waterfall and lake in Oku-Nikko, but the Irohazaka road was frozen solid, so I turned back at around the “ha” bend. I really had no idea the weather at the top of the mountain could be so different from the bottom. I nearly died.
Tobu-Nikko Station
Back at Tobu-Nikko Station, I ate an ekiben while waiting for the bus to Oku-Nikko. What I only found out after getting on was that the fare was outrageous. I figured it would be around 300 yen, but it was 1,100 yen one way… They really know how to milk the tourists.
Oku-Nikko, about 30 minutes later, was far colder than I’d expected. The temperature was around minus 8 degrees, but the wind was so strong it felt like below minus 20. I’d come without any proper cold-weather gear, so I really suffered.
The waterfall in Oku-Nikko
It’s supposedly one of Japan’s three great waterfalls (Kegon Falls), but it was too cold to properly enjoy it.
Oku-Nikko scenery
The mountain lake in Oku-Nikko
It would be lovely to come in summer. The scenery is great, but coming in winter was the wrong call.
The view behind the Oku-Nikko bus terminal
The view in front of the Oku-Nikko bus terminal
We only managed a quick look at the lake and the waterfall before heading back down, unable to do anything else. The blizzard was raging, and the wind was so strong I thought I’d be blown away. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt cold like that.
View from the bus on the way down
View from inside the bus
Back at Tobu-Nikko Station
That wrapped up Nikko, so we headed to the nearby hot spring area of Kinugawa Onsen and soaked in an outdoor bath. A whole day’s worth of fatigue just melted away. Then, after debating what to have for dinner, we stopped by Utsunomiya for gyoza before heading home. The national highway was well built, so the drive back was really easy. (I think the hardest place I’ve driven in Japan was Osaka.) I’d like to go back to Nikko in summer. Mind you, it’ll be crowded then, so driving there won’t be easy.