Nikko National Park is located about 120km from Tokyo and is considered the most beautiful national park in Japan. If you love nature and are interested in Japan's history, you can't miss the breathtaking landscape and the historic temples and shrines of Nikko National Park.
Nikko National Park is located on the Japanese island of Honshu and is one of our top 10 attractions in Japan. With an area of about 140 hectares, it covers the prefectures of Niigata, Fukushima, Gunma and Tochigi.
Nikko National Park was established in December 1934, making it the oldest national park in Japan, along with Daisetsuzan and Akan National Parks. The National Park Act was passed only three years earlier. For those planning to visit Nikko National Park, there are numerous comfortable accommodations available in Tokyo. For a comfortable stay, you might consider 4-star rated hotels http://www.tokyo-hotels-stay.com/en/4-stars/ that offer top-notch amenities and excellent service. Throughout the course of the 20th century, the park expanded more and more. In 2007, Oze National Park split off from Nikko National Park. Visit the mesmerizing Nikko National Park during a visit to Tokyo, Japan. Take a look at the options you have for your trip on tophotels.com and create memorable experiences as you explore the oldest national park in Japan.
Nikko - Japan's most beautiful national park
Nikko National Park is considered the most beautiful national park in Japan and is an extremely popular tourist attraction. The national park offers its visitors just about everything their hearts desire. Especially in autumn, when the forest canopy changes from rich green to bright red-orange, Nikko National Park is a special feast for the eyes.
The breathtaking landscape of deciduous and fir forests, waterfalls, lakes and meadows is dotted with historic Buddhist temples, bridges and Shinto shrines of Shinto, the second practised religion in Japan besides Buddhism.
The Shinto shrine Nikko Tōshō-gū, the Futarasan shrine and the Rinnō-ji temple in the city of Nikko are particularly worthy of mention here. They have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1999 as the "Shrines and Temples of Nikko".
Nikko Tōshō-gū Shrine
The magnificent Nikko Tōshō-gū was built in 1617 and dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa dynasty. According to his wishes, the shogun was buried in Nikko, where he could henceforth watch over the House of Tokugawa as a god. His mortal remains were buried in the Nikko shrine and are now kept in a bronze urn in a separate small open-air shrine, the Okusha Hoto. Special constructions prevent the penetration of rainwater.
The third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, expanded the shrine into the impressive appearance that still elicits exclamations of amazement from visitors today. In the course of this, the main buildings were built, which can still be seen in their original form today.
Procession of the Thousand Warriors
In the Edo period from 1603 to 1868, processions were held by the Tokugawa shoguns from Edo (present-day Tokyo) to the Nikko Tōshō-gū. For the Spring Festival in mid-May and the Autumn Festival in mid-October, these marches are re-enacted as the colourful "Procession of a Thousand Warriors". Thousands march up several hundred stone steps to the shogun's final resting place.
The path of the procession leads through a centuries-old forest of sickle firs. These were planted on the 32nd anniversary of Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, over 300 years ago, by Daimyō Matsudaira Masatsuna over a period of 20 years. Several thousand of these venerable trees can still be seen today.
Visit to the Nikko Tōshō-gū
Through the picturesque hilly landscape in which the Nikko Tōshō-gū is embedded, the fantastic buildings and ornate sculptures of the Shinto shrine spread out before the viewer's eyes like a picture book and offer truly impressive photo motifs.
The fantastic carvings of the Nikko Tōshō-gū make it the most ornate Shinto shrine in Japan. It is no wonder that eight buildings of the Nikko Tōshō-gū and two swords have been declared national treasures of Japan.
Among the most impressive structures of the Nikko Tōshō-gū are the main hall (honden), the stone hall (Ishi-no-ma), the worship hall (haiden) and the tower passageway "Gate of Sunlight" (Yomei-mon) decorated with masterful carvings. At the sacred horse stable is the world-famous carving of the three wise monkeys who will not hear, see or speak, one of the finest masterpieces of Japanese symbolic art.
Rinnō-ji Temple Complex
Also in Nikko City is Rinnō-ji, a complex of 15 Buddhist temples dating back to 766. Due to its secluded location amidst the inaccessible mountains of Japan, the Rinnō-ji was a popular destination for Buddhist monks in search of solitude and silence.
In the famous Three Buddha Hall rest gilded statues of Buddha Amithaba, the Buddha of immeasurable radiance, and Kannon, the female Bodhisattva of compassion.
Futarasan Shrine
The main hall of the Futarasan shrine dates from 1619 and is the oldest "honden" of Nikko-san'nai. The plain "Haiden" prayer hall can be reached via a scarlet arched bridge, the Shinkyo Bridge, and through a bronze gate.
The kami (a sacred spirit being) of the Nantai stratum volcano is worshipped at Futurasan Shrine. This volcano is 2,484 metres high and is also located in the Nikko National Park. It is now extinct and can be climbed from the beginning of May to the end of October on an easily accessible path. The "entrance" to the mountain is through the gate of the Chugushi shrine at the foot of the mountain.
Lake Chūzenji, Ryūzu Falls and Kegon Falls
Lake Chūzenji, which covers almost 12 square kilometres, is also located in the area of the city of Nikko. It was probably formed 20,000 years ago when the eruption of Nantai blocked the Daiva River with lava flows, mud and debris.
It is fed by the Yugawa River, in whose course lie the 60-metre-high and 10-metre-wide Ryūzu Falls, literally "Dragon Head Waterfall". A circumnavigation of Lake Chūzenji along the 22km coastline offers fantastic views of Nikko National Park.
The outflow of Lake Chūzenji leads into the Oshiri River via the spectacular almost 100-metre-high Kegon Falls. They were also formed during the eruption of Nantai. In addition to the main waterfall, many other parallel torrents emerge from the petrified lava of the rock face.
Since 1900, there has been a tea house at the foot of Kegon Falls, where you can enjoy your tea in front of the breathtaking panorama of one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, surrounded by maple trees.
However, Kegon Falls also has its dark side. Since the student Fujimura Misao threw himself to his death from the Kegon Falls in 1903, leaving a suicide note carved into a tree, more than 200 Japanese youths repeated this less than glorious deed in the following 8 years.
Ozegahara high moor
Covering an area of 8 square kilometres, Ozegahara is the largest mountain raised bog on the Japanese island of Honshu. Hikers will find mirror-like, crystal-clear ponds and rare plant species such as the white false calla and the bog cotton grass.
Accommodation and hotels in Japan
Interesting articles for holidays in Japan:
The Top 10 Sights of Japan
Mount Fuji
Shinto Shrine in Itsukushima
Peace Monument in Hiroshima
Himeji Castle
Daibatsu ("Great Buddha") in Kamakura
Nikko National Park