Ryokan in Nikko and Kinugawa
日光・鬼怒川The shrines and temples of Nikko, a World Heritage Site, with the riverside hot-spring town of Kinugawa 30 minutes away by train and Lake Chuzenji and Yumoto Onsen up in the mountains above. Tobu limited express trains reach both Nikko and Kinugawa from Asakusa in about two hours.
Choosing an area in Nikko and Kinugawa
- Central Nikko
- Kinugawa Onsen
- Lake Chuzenji
- Yumoto Onsen
Central Nikko 日光
The town below Toshogu and Rinno-ji, 10 minutes by bus from the stations.
Kinugawa Onsen 鬼怒川温泉
A hot-spring town of large hotels along the Kinugawa gorge, with its own Tobu station.
Lake Chuzenji 中禅寺湖
A mountain lake beside Kegon Falls, about 50 minutes by bus above the town.
Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉
A small sulphur spring at the far end of the road, about 80 minutes by bus from Nikko.
Nikko and Kinugawa through the year
Spring春
March to May
On 17 and 18 May Toshogu holds its spring grand festival, with a procession of a thousand samurai in armour.
Summer夏
June to August
From the Meiji era to the early Showa era, foreign embassies built summer villas on Lake Chuzenji; the British and Italian embassy villas are now open to visitors as memorial parks.
Autumn秋
September to November
Colour starts at Yumoto in early October, peaks around Lake Chuzenji in mid to late October and reaches the town in the first half of November.
Winter冬
December to February
Up at Okunikko the first snow falls in November, and in December Lake Yunoko and Ryuzu Falls begin to freeze.
The ryokan
Listed stays
72 approved listings · 72 total in Nikko and Kinugawa
Photo credits
Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Hardo Müller, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr; amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; Felix Filnkoessl, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr