Feel the atmosphere of Tokugawa Shogunate at the world heritage site!
Rinnoji was established by Saint Shodo in the 8th century, and the beautiful Taiyuin mausoleum is located in the precincts of Rinnoji.
Toshogu was built in the 17th century to worship Tokugawa Ieyasu. You can see the beautiful carvings of Yomeimon Gate, three wise monkeys, etc.
Futarasan Shrine is famous for the benefit of good marriage and inviting good luck. The beautiful Shinkyo Bridge is a property of Futarasan Shrine.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Your hotel
Your Hotel
Pick up at your hotel. Go to Nikko from Asakusa Station by Tobu Express.
Tobu Nikko Station
Visit Rinnoji Temple, Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine. We will have lunch nerby.
Rinnoji Temple
Feel the atmosphere of Buddhism!
Rinnoji was established by Saint Shodo in the middle of the 8th century. There are no buildings named Rinnnoji. All the buildings related to Buddhsm in Nikko are collectively called Rinnoji.
At Rinnoji, based on the belief to mountains, they have worshipped three Buddhas. Thousand-armed Kannon (Kannon with thousand arms) representing Mt. Nantai, Amida Buddha representing Mt. Nyohou, and Kannon with a horse’s head representing Mt. Taro.
Taiyuin is a mausoleum which is located inside the precincts of Rinnnoji Temple, and famous for its beautiful gates. It enshrines the Tokugawa third Shogun Iemitsu.
Toshogu Shrine
Enjoy watching the beautiful carvings of Yomeimon Gate, three wise monkeys, sleeping cat, etc.
This shrine was built in 1617 to worship Tokugawa Ieyasu who was the ruler of Japan at the beginning of the 17th century. After the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu he was buried in Mt. Kuno in Shizuoka Prefecture, but his body was moved to Nikko in the next year according to his will to become a god to rule Kanto area.
You can see the big entrance gate called Yomeimon which has more than 500 beautiful carvings. You can also see the famous carvings of three wise monkeys, sleeping cat, etc.
Futarasan Shrine
Feel the soul of Shintoism, Japanese indigenous religion.
Futarasan Shrine was established in the middle of the 8th century by Saint Shodo. It worships Mt. Futara, another name is Mt Nantai, and has been gathering people's faith. This shrine is famous for the benefit of good marriage and inviting good luck.
The beautiful Shinkyo Bridge, which is the entrance of Mt. Nikko, is a property of Futarasan Shrine.
Tobu Nikko Station
Go back to Tokyo by Tobu Express.
Your Hotel
End of the tour.
Ending Point
Your hotel
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
1. Guide fee
2. Hotel pick-up
* Hotel pick-up is included if your hotel is located near a station on JR Yamanote Line or inside the circle of JR Yamanote Line. If extra transportation fees are necessary for hotel pick-up, I will let you know.
1. Transportation fee (you and your guide):About 8,000 yen/adult including the express fee of Tobu line
2. Admission fee (you and your guide): About 2,500 yen/adult
3. Lunch (you and your guide)
4. Beverages (beer, juice, etc.)
It takes about 2 hours from Asakusa Station to Nikko Station by Tobu express train.
*** FAQ ***
(Q1) Can I use the Shinkansen bullet train to get to Nikko instead of Tobu express?
(A1) Yes, you can. But you need about 4000 yen more for transportation.
(Q2) Can I visit Kegon waterfall in addition to the above shrines and temple?
(A2)Yes, you can. But you need extra 1.5 to 2 hours.
Nothing speceial.
Hello, I'm Hiroshi.
I am a National Government Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter in English. I have got a master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.
I have been living in a city of Fujisawa, which is the city next to Kamakura, for more than 20 years, and also lived in Kamakura for more than 10 years. So far, I have visited almost all the temples and shrines in Kamakura. So I am sure I can offer you a pleasant trip to the historical city, Kamakura.
In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around the sightseeing spots such as Asakusa, Tsukiji, Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Skytree, etc.
I like baseball and used to play baseball, but now enjoy watching professional baseball games. And I like watching Rakugo, Japanese traditional story-telling performance.
Of course, I also like travelling very much, and am interested in Japanese culture and history. So I would like to show you Japanese tradition and culture.
Let’s enjoy a trip in Japan together.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
John S.
Tokyo Half Day Customized Tour (Dec. 14) [5 HRs]
Customized
“Tokyo December 2024”
Very knowledgeable and helpful Thank you Hiroshi-san for looking after me
Hiroshi S.
Thank you for the review. I really enjoyed the tour with you. We visited the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya. At the Imperial Palace, we were able to see the Edo period turrets and castle stone walls and get a feel for the atmosphere of those days. At Meiji Shrine, we saw a Japanese traditional wedding ceremony, and from Shibuya Sky we got a panoramic view of the city of Tokyo. Your stay in Tokyo was brief this time, but please contact me again the next time you come to Japan. I am sure I can tell you more about Japanese culture and customs.
Fynn C.
Kamakura Half Day Customized Tour (Nov. 17)
Customized
“Kamakura half day tour”
Our tour to Kamakura was a fantastic experience from start to finish. It began with a convenient meet-up at our hotel in Shinjuku, where Hiroshi, our guide, greeted us warmly. The journey was incredibly smooth, as navigating the public transport was easy and well-organized. I especially enjoyed taking the local buses, which added a nice, authentic touch to the experience. The pace of the tour was perfect, making it a relaxing day despite all there was to see. As a small group, we had plenty of time to enjoy each stop without feeling rushed. One highlight was definitely the Hokokuji Bamboo Forest—such a serene and beautiful place that left a lasting impression on all of us. Hiroshi was an excellent guide, always attentive and full of interesting tidbits, especially for my kids, who were engaged and excited throughout the tour. It was clear that he genuinely cared about making the experience enjoyable for everyone. Overall, this was a memorable, stress-free day trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kamakura.
Hiroshi S.
Thank you for writing the review. I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the Kamakura tour. I also had a great time with all of your family. We visited the Great Buddha, Hokokuji Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and finally Komachi-dori Street. At Hokokuji Temple, we enjoyed matcha green tea while looking at the bamboo grove. It is a very quiet and calm place and one of my favorite places in Kamakura. Since it was a holiday, there were many people at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Especially since it was the season of Shichi-Go-San, which celebrates the growth of children, we could see many children dressed in kimono. There were also many stores and restaurants on Komachi-dori Street, and I am sure you enjoyed shopping and other activities. If you have a chance to come to Japan again, please contact me. There is still much to see and do in Kamakura and Tokyo, and let’s enjoy Japanese culture and customs together.
Cathleen N.
Nikko Full Day Customized Tour (Updated)
Customized
“Tokyo to Nikko Full Day Personalized Tour”
Hiroshi goes above and beyond to exceed your expectations. If you are looking for a guide that will respond timely to your inquiries, make suggestions on how to efficiently use your time, and consider your interests to build a personalized itinerary, then Hiroshi-san is for you. Through GWG, I corresponded with Hiroshi to build out an itinerary that included a pick up at our hotel in Tokyo, round trip train(s) to Nikko, and full day tour. Hiroshi promptly answered all my questions and made suggestions for which public transportation (bus/metro/train) to use including detailed timelines of the most time efficient routes. On top of all that, he provided a day's worth of education on Japanese history, religions, and culture. During the train ride he gave us a quick Japanese lesson on the most useful words/phrases and had a pictorial explaining Japanese characters. He answered our questions all day long, regardless of how obscure. We learned and laughed together. Aside from being knowledgeable, Hiroshi-san is kind and caring. He made sure that we understood how to use the public transportation system's automatic ticketing kiosks and even helped us purchase a physical SUICA card for one of our group members who could not get the electronic version. The following day we were traveling on our own to Kyoto via bullet train. He explained that process for us and even sent texts the next day making sure that we arrived safely at the correct outbound Shinkasen train station and found the correct train. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Hiroshi-san. If you choose him as your guide, you will too.
Hiroshi S.
I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the Nikko tour. The day of the tour was very crowded because there was a yabusame (horseback archery) event at Toshogu Shrine. But we could see people dressed in samurai clothes riding horses. We studied Japanese on the train. It was just simple greetings in Japanese, but I hope it was of some use to you during your stay in Japan after the Nikko tour. Tokyo Station is a very large central station in Japan and is always crowded with people. It might be a little complicated to go through the ticket gates when boarding the Shinkansen, but I am relieved to hear that you were able to board the Shinkansen to Kyoto smoothly at Tokyo Station. Please contact me if you have a chance to come back to Japan. I can show you around Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Yokohama, etc. Let's experience Japanese culture and customs, and enjoy delicious Japanese food and beautiful scenery! Hope to see you again! Hiroshi
$271/ per group