Nikko is one of the most beautiful ancient towns in Japan. It means “sunlight” and it is very popular for tourists who love the medieval appeal and aspect of Japan. This is a complete guide for Nikko, with hotels, places to stay and where to eat traditional japanese food.
Here all the details
Introducing Nikko – Japan guide
Nikkō (in Japanese:日光市, Nikkō-shi, literarily “light from the sun”) is situated 140km far from the North side of Tokyo, right in the middle of the National Park of Nikko, on the mountain discrict of Tochigi. It is easily reachable taking the Nikko line from the Asakusa station in Tokyo. The whole travel takes about two hours.
The JR station in Nikko is the most ancient in the Eastern Japan: it was made by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1915. Many buses leave from here going to the most important touristic places, but take this as an advice: walk by feet the street from the station to Tosho-gu, it just takes 15-20 minutes.
On the Ote-dori Avenue you can find many artisan crafts shops, the joiners making the geta, the famous Japanese sandals, are the most popular. You can also try a famous restaurant called Hippari Dako, next to the Shinkyo bridge: you may taste the specialiy tzuku-me, chicken meatballs skewers. The first temple you’ll see while walking to Tosho-gu is the Rinno-ji, made by Shodo Shonin in the 8th century.
The legend says that over 1200 years ago the monk Shodo Shonin was stopped in his journey to mount Nantaisan because of Daiya river. He begged for a bridge and his wish came true: a giant dressed in blue wearing a skulls necklace appeared, growling “Here’s your bridge!”, and throw two snakes, blue and green, over the river. So the monk could cross the river and both the giant and the bridge disappeared as soon as he could reach the other side. Right in this spot is now placed the red Holy Shinkyo Bridge. Once it was reserved to the samurais, but today everybody may do it just paying: that’s why I suggest to cross the side road, from where you can still admire it properly!
In the temple of Rinno-ji – the biggest building in Nikko – you’ll see the Sambutsu-do, also known as the “three Buddhas hall”: it refers to the three golden statues featuring the Amida Buddha, Senju Kannon and Bato Kannon. Beyond this hall there’s the Treasure room where all the precious of the Edo age are displayed.
Behind here, a nice path crosses the garden and the small lake among little bridges and stone lanterns. Coming back to the main street you’ll see the temples group called Tosho-gu, made by Tokugawa Iemitsu (1603-1651) in 1634, to honour his grandfather Ieyasu and show the power of the Tokugawa shogun people to other daimyo (feudal lords). Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) was a very important hostorical personality for Japan. In fact, he was the founder of the ancient capital city called Edo, now known as Tokyo. He also was the one who made the Tokugawa family powerful, starting the homonymous age. It was the two-centuries-and-a-half long samurai era, until they lost power in 1868. During his life Ieyasu was worshipped as a god, after his death he was considered a gongen (embodiment of Buddha) instead. He chose the name Tosho-Daigongen to play this role, and it’s what the temple is called after. About 15.000 craftsmen from all over the Country worked to the most beautiful temple of Japan restlessly.
Over the entrance to the Tosho-gu temple there’s a huge granite torii. On the left you can see a five-floors pagoda representing the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, hollow. It was donated by a daimyo in 1650 and completely remade in 1818, after a fire. Going upstairs there’s the Nio Mon door, protected by two Nio statues: one of them has its mouth open like pronouncing the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, “ah”, the other one has it closed like saying the last letter “un”.
Walking through the Nio Mon entrance you’ll reach the first yard of the temple. Many buildings are all around, and among the decorations one in particular is very famous although many people don’t know its origin: the bassorilievo featuring the three monkeys “don’t hear, don’t see, don’t speak”. Their meaning is “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” and they’re assumed as the guardians of the temple.
Keeping on walking the path between the Drum Tower (left) amd the Bells Tower (right) – symbols of birth and death respectively – you’ll reach the Yomei Mon door, also known as the “sun entrance”, then the sanctuary itself. The Yomei Mon door was the ancient limit for the less important samurais, while common people were banned from the Nio Mon door. In the sanctuary two more warlords whom the temple was dedicated (1873) to can be worshipped besides Tokugawa Ieyasu: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) and Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199). On the right of the main sanctuary there’s a path where the Sleeping Cat paint can be seen if you pay 500¥, and you may buy his talismans too! Not far from here the stairs start; walking through the vegetation you’ll reach the Treasure Tower, where Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ashes are kept.
Another very important temple in Nikko is the one dedicated to Tokugawa Iemitsu, Ieyasu’s grandson, who also wanted a sanctuary to be worshipped! It’s the Taiyuin-byo, placed in an extraordinary Japanese cedar wood. Like the former, this is a group of buildings that consists in a walk that leads to Taiyuin’s tomb (the buddhist name of Iemitsu) crossing six doors. The first door is the Nio Mon entrance with two Nio warrior gods assumed as the guardians of the temple.
Right in front of this spot there’s a granite source with a dragon reflecting in the water below, painted by Kano Yasunobu. If you keep on walking you’ll meet the Niten Mon door with four guardian statues put inside niches: in the foreground there are the gods Komoku and Jikoku, in the background the green statue represents the wind god, while the red one is the thunder god. After a few stairs up you’ll find the Drum and the Bells Towers, symbols of birth and death like the ones described formerly. Not far there’s the Yasha Mon door, also known as Botan Mon, or “peony door” because of its floral decorations. The fourth one is the Kara Mon door, which is the entrance to the main outer sanctuary called Haiden: it keeps Kano Yasunobu’ works. From now on the entrance is usually forbidden to the public.
Over the Haiden there’s the Honden, an inner sanctuary with a golden altar and a statue of Iemitsu. On the right, the Koka Mon door made in Chinese Ming style leads to the last entrance, then to Iemitsu’s tomb. While visiting Nikko you should not miss the Chuzen-ji lake and the Kegon falls, next to the holy mountain Nantaisan. They can be easily reached by the buses travelling from the train station to the East lakeside of Chusenji. Mind the travel sickness, since the road is narrow and winding!
Prices in Nikko
Visiting the sanctuaries costs about 300-400 ¥ each. At the Rinno-ji you may buy one ticket to visit them all (about 1300 ¥) and the entrance to the Sleeping Cat in Tosho-gu is included.
Hotels in Nikko
Nikko is easily reachable from Tokyo and just one day is enough to visit it, so close to the city you will only find Japanese style inns.
Pension Hillside Terrace (tel 0288 54 3235): Nice and neat place with excellent food. Pension Turtle (tel 0288 53 3168). Nice place close to the Tosho-gu temple with comfortable rooms.
Kanaya Hotel: Very elegant hotel founded in the XIX century nect to the Daiya river. From 20,000 ¥ (204 USD) to 50,000 ¥ (510 USD). Phone : +81 0288 54 0001 – fax: +81 0288 53 2487 email: nikko@kanayahotel.co.jp – web: http://www.kanayahotel.co.jp/english/nikko/
Web resources:
http://www.toshogu-koyoen.com/ - temple of Tosho-gu
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