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One-Day Spiritual Highlights of Nikko (Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Taiyuin, Futarasan Shrine)

Toshogu Shrine : Yomeimon Gate

Toshogu Shrine : Carving of Sleeping Cat

Rinnoji Temple : Sanbutsudo Hall

Rinnoji Temple : Taiyuin Mausoleum

Shinkyo Bridge in snow

Futarasan Shrine

Kegon Falls

One-Day Spiritual Highlights of Nikko (Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Taiyuin, Futarasan Shrine)

Highlights

Joined 2018

Hiroshi S.

4.92 / 5

(66 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Nikko

Japanese (Native), English

9 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Hiroshi S.)

Up to 5 people

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.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

08:00 AM

Meeting Point

Your hotel

- I will meet you near the reception in the lobby of your hotel.

08:00 AM

Your Hotel

Pick up at your hotel. Go to Nikko from Asakusa Station by Tobu Express.

10:30 AM

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.

03:00 PM

Tobu Nikko Station

Go back to Tokyo by Tobu Express.

05:30 PM

Your Hotel

End of the tour.

Ending Point

Your hotel

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

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.

What‘s not included

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.)

Tour Important Information

(1) It takes about 2 hours from Asakusa Station to Nikko Station by Tobu express train.

(2) This tour is also available for groups of 6 or more. Please inquire about guide fees for groups of 6 or more.

*** 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 6000 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.

Important message from the supplier

Nothing speceial.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2018

Hiroshi S.

4.92 / 5

(66 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Hiroshi S.

Hello, I'm Hiroshi.

I am a National Government Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter in English. I received a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.

I have lived in a city of Fujisawa, which is a city next to Kamakura, for more than 20 years, and also used to live in Kamakura for more than 10 years. So far, I have visited almost all the temples and shrines in Kamakura. I am sure I can offer you a pleasant trip to the historical city!

In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide you around Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around many 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.

Reviews

John G.

5 / 5

Nov 1, 2026

Tokyo Full-Day Customized Tour (Oct. 15)

Nov 1, 2026

Tokyo

8 hours 30 mins

Customized

“Fantastic Day Tour in Tokyo”

What a wonderful trip we had with Hiroshi. It was so we'll organised and planned to perfection to include everything we asked for on our itinerary. Hiroshi was punctual, very informative, thoughtful and so helpful with all our travelling and ticketing on the subways, monorail and river cruise. We had the best time and could never have done everything we did without him. Thank you Hiroshi.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. This time, we visited many tourist spots in Tokyo, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shibuya, Yanaka, and Asakusa. From the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck, we could see the Tokyo Skytree and other landmarks. I think you also found the old shopping streets of Yanaka interesting. From a boat on the Sumida River, we were able to see a different view of Tokyo. I hope you enjoyed the one-day tour. There are still many more sights to see in Tokyo, so please contact me if you have the opportunity to come to Japan again. I'd be happy to show you a different side of Tokyo.

Denis H.

5 / 5

Oct 29, 2026

Tokyo Half-Day Customized Tour (Oct. 23)

Oct 29, 2026

Tokyo

4 hours 30 mins

Customized

“An interesting and useful sightseeing tour”

We used Hiroshi’s services for a 4.5-hour personalized tour of Tokyo, conducted in English. Our goal was to learn how to navigate Tokyo’s public transport system independently, and he prepared an itinerary with that in mind. We thoroughly enjoyed the places he suggested; he was flexible and attentive to our requests, making adjustments to the program as needed. We are very satisfied with his services and highly recommend him.

Hiroshi S.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the half-day tour of Tokyo. One of the goals of this tour was for you to become familiar with Tokyo's transportation system. I hope you learned how to ride the JR and subway lines, how to transfer, and how to use Suica. I also explained about Japanese life, history, culture, and customs. I believe you are now able to enjoy Japan—including Tokyo—on your own. Japan has many cultures and customs that are different from those of the West. I look forward to the day when we can enjoy Japan together again.

Susan G.

5 / 5

Oct 19, 2026

Relax at Hamarikyu Gardens ＆ Tsukiji Market

Oct 19, 2026

Tokyo

4 hours

“Lovely way to begin our visit to Japan”

Hiroshi guided our group from hotel to two beautiful gardens in Japan. It was so lovely and peaceful. He clearly explained a bit of the history of each of the gardens and gave us time to explore on our own. He helped make our first day in this very busy, bustling city of Tokyo a breath of fresh air and quiet contemplation. Thank you Hiroshi.

Hiroshi S.

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. I also enjoyed spending time with your group in the beautiful gardens. Even though you were a group of over 10 people, getting on and off the subway was smooth, and we had no problems getting around at all. Both Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen are representative parks of the Edo period. Tokyo has many other beautiful gardens, such as Hamarikyu Gardens and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. When you come to Japan again, let’s enjoy these wonderful views together while learning about Japanese history, culture, and customs.