Recommended Length: 2 Days
Make your way up the 2,486-meter-high, spiritually significant Mt. Nantai. Start on the side of Lake Chuzenji and visit World Heritage temples and shrines deifying the mountain on your way up.
Advanced Trek Up Mt. Nantai
Day 1
Nikko Station / Tobu-Nikko Station
By bus
5 minutes by World Heritage tour bus to the Shinkyo bus stop
Sightseeing
Shinkyo Bridge
At 28 meters long and nearly eight meters wide, the beautiful, vermilion-lacquered Shinkyo Bridge sits at the entrance to the Nikko mountains. According to legend, Buddhist monk Shodo, the first head priest of Nikko, asked the mountain deities for help crossing the Daiya River, at which point two snakes appeared and transformed into a bridge. The bridge belongs to Nikko Futarasan-jinja Shrine and was designated a World Heritage site in 1999.
History & Culture
By bus
40 minutes from the Nishisando bus stop by buses bound for Chuzenji Onsen or Yumoto Onsen to the Chuzenji Onsen bus stop
Accommodation
Chuzenji Onsen
Chuzenji Onsen, located at the north end of Lake Chuzenji, is drawn from Nikko Yumoto Onsen, 12 kilometers away. Over that distance, the water—originally 78 degrees Celsius—gradually cools down to the perfect temperature for bathing. Visitors can also enjoy sightseeing spots near the resort such as Chugushi (a sub-shrine of Futarasan-jinja Shrine) and Kegon Falls, whose scenery changes dramatically as the seasons pass.
HOT SPRING
End of Day 1
Day 2
Chuzenji Onsen
On Foot
Short walk
Hiking
By bus
40 minutes by buses bound for Nikko Station to the Nishisando bus stop
Daytrip Onsen
Nikko Onsen
Near the World Heritage temples and shrines of Nikko is a legendary hot spring, allegedly discovered by Kobo Daishi (founder of Shingon Buddhism). Though the location of Kobo Daishi’s Muso-no-yu (hot spring of imagination) was not known for a long time, it’s thought to have been rediscovered in 1985, and is now simply called Nikko Onsen. Its clear, pure water is said to be good for the skin, and is a perfect treatment for the aches brought on by walking around all of the city’s World Heritage sites.
HOT SPRING
By bus
10 minutes from the Nishisando bus stop by the buses bound for Nikko Station