This tour offers you an opportunity to appreciate incredible artisanship in majestic nature, which is a very unique experience to Nikko. We will visit Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, and Taiyuin to observe the magnificent architecture and marvelous sculptures. We will open our imagination to the Edo Period and speculate on what Shogun's legacy means to our present day.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Your hotel in Tokyo or Nikko
- I will meet you at your hotel in Tokyo or in Nikko. I will help you buy tickets for limited express train to Nikko. If you are staying in Nikko, the meeting time will be 9:00 or 10:00.
We will take a local bus from Tobu Nikko Station.
At one of the restaurants close to Shinkyo (the red bridge), we will enjoy early lunch because there is practically no place to eat in the shrine/temple area.
This is a quaint, cute little bridge in traditional style. Many tourists take photos of the bridge. It has an interesting legend.
The Magnificent memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate (the Edo Period). Admission fee: 1,600 yen.
The mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate and a grandson of Ieyasu. You can tell how much he respected and admired his grandfather by its similarities with Toshogu.
The most important temple in Nikko. You can enjoy its beautiful Japanese garden, Shoyoen. Admission fee: 500 yen.
After seeing the shrines and temple, we can either take a bus or walk for about 20 minutes to the station. There are many sweet shops and souvenir shops on the street.
We will take limited Express train back to Tokyo. I will navigate your way to your hotel so that you can take a nap on the train!
Your hotel
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Guide fee, hotel pick-up, and the guide's transportation fees to/from home.
Transportation fees for you and the guide between your hotel and Nikko and during the tour (about 7,000-8,000 yen/person), lunch for you and the guide (1,000-2,000 yen/person), your admission fees (1,600 yen per person for Toshogu Shrine and 500 yen for Shoyoen Garden; admission for a licensed guide is free).
1) I will customize the tour according to your needs and preference. I can make the tour shorter by skipping one or two sightseeing spots. In that case, I'll lower the price. Please let me know by message before booking the tour.
2) Usually it is about 5 minutes by bus from Tobu Nikko Station to Shinkyo. But on holidays and weekends, and during October/November, the traffic in Nikko is very heavy, and it can take more than half an hour. I recommend you choose a weekday for Nikko.
3) We will walk a lot, so please wear comfortable shoes for walking.
4) You can't avoid stairs. Threre is a long and steep stairway in Toshogu, before the grave of Ieyasu.
5) You have to take off your shoes when you enter the main building at Toshogu Shrine.
6) It is colder in Nikko than in Tokyo. Please be prepared.
Hi there! I'm Junko, a government licensed tour guide and interpreter. I was born and bred in the Tokyo area. I can customize my tour or ceate a tour any way you like, so please send me a message if you are interested. I have spent a year as a graduate student in the US, and traveled in several countries. I've made friends with non-Japanese people throughout my life, and I have a pretty good knowledge of what they want to know. I love goofy jokes and having fun. I will do my best to make our clients' stay in Japan a wonderful one.
“Excellent tour guide!”
Junko was a very friendly, knowledgeable and very organized tour guide. Junko personalized our tour exactly how we wanted it. We loved our tour and highly recommend Junko!! She was wonderful!! Thank you Junko for an unforgettable tour of Nikko!!
Junko Y.
(2 reviews)Thank you so much, Sandra!! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed our tour. You and your friend were so nice and I wanted to spend more time with you! I hope you will have a great time for the rest of your stay in Japan. See you again!!
“An incredible day out with Junko!”
Our day with Junko in Tokyo was one that we will never forget! She took us to some amazing sites, showed us how to use the daunting subway system and was fantastic company throughout the entire day. Could not recommend her highly enough! For us, it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
Junko Y.
(2 reviews)Thank you so much, Noelene!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed our tour because I enjoyed it so much myself! You and your family are such nice people, and I was impressed especially with your sons. I hope to see you again next time you come to Japan.
$332/ per group
Reserve