A Golden Week Adventure to Nikko: The Devil's in the Details

All hail Japan's ridiculous number (17) of national holidays. 

Golden Week (GW)--the roughly week-long period of sequential national holidays from April 29 to early May-- is a popular (and expensive; I wouldn't recommend timing your trip to Japan for this particular week) time to travel in Japan, but it does give you a large chunk of guilt-free time to explore the country. For me it was just an excellent perk of working here--a week of days off that I didn't have to spend any PTO to get-- but I know that for some Japanese employees this is one of their only vacation periods throughout the year. Train tickets, hotels, and other activities that require pre-purchased tickets for GW sell out well in advance, their prices unsurprisingly jacked-up for the occasion. 

While it would have been nice to make a trek to Hokkaido or Kyushu, both of which are rather far-afield of Tokyo, I didn't quite have the foresight (or funding, if I'm being honest) for an excursion of that magnitude. Instead I gathered a trusty travel companion, Troy, and we planned a week of day trips from Tokyo: places 1-3 hours away from the city that we could get to, explore, and return from in a day. We compiled a list, a color-coordinated spreadsheet, and prayed for good weather. 

Our first trip was to Nikko, a city in Tochigi Prefecture. This had been on my list for quite some time, not only because I could finally check Tochigi off my list (I want to visit all of Japan's 47 prefectures) but because it is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikko. The most famous of these is the Toshogu: the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu. 

It was going to be SO COOL.

Except getting there was, well...an adventure? 

The night before our fated trip we planned out our route via Google Maps. It was going to be 2 1/2 hours but only cost us ¥2,500: perfect. 

The first leg of the trip, getting to Kitasenju Station, went smoothly. Tokyo, perhaps unsurprisingly, empties out somewhat during GW as large chunks of its population leave for other parts of the country or even more exotic climes. Once at Kitasenju, however, we ran into our first logistical error: apparently the train Google told us to take was one you had to buy a seat-specific ticket for and they were ALL. SOLD. OUT. Whoops. 

What followed was a rather convoluted and long trip from Tokyo to Nikko. 

Following the instructions of one of the stationmasters, Troy and I first journeyed from Kitasenju Station to Minamikurihashi Station. Fro Minamikurihashi we got on a local train (re: a slow, slow train) that took us to Shimo-Imachi Station. There we missed the transfer (which was my fault, I'll admit) from Shimo-Imachi to Tobu-Nikko Station so we waited an extra 45 minutes for the next train. Total travel time from Tokyo to Nikko? A smidge over four hours. They do say it's not the destination that matters, right? 

 Once at Nikko, things started looking a lot more UNESCO-y. We passed by the picturesque Shinkyo Bridge and headed into the nearby mountains where the various shrine and temple complexes were. 

First we went to the Taiyuinbyo, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. This mausoleum complex contains a mix of Shinto and Buddhist structures, as well as Chinese-influenced architectural features. 

To get to the mausoleum  you pass through a series of increasingly lavish gates. 

First there's the Niomon Gate, which marks the entrance. 

Up a flight of stone steps is the Nitenmon Gate.

And finally you come to the Karamon Gate, which leads you into the haiden, or "praying hall."

The honden, or main hall of the mausoleum, is tucked away just outside the enclosed gates of the haiden. Compared to the gaudy splendor of the previous structures, the contrast of white walls and (comparatively) modest decorations set against the quiet backdrop of trees and dappled sunlight was a sensory pleasure.

Of course, there were plenty of subtle details to enjoy amidst the crimson paint, gold, and lavish carvings:

From the Taiyuinbyo, we followed a cobbled stone path past a red wall...

...which turned into some stone steps winding up the mountain...

 ...and up the mountain...

...until I didn't really have any idea WHERE we were (besides someplace pretty). There was a signpost, but, it didn't give you much of a sense of scale. 

Based on Google Maps, I think we ended up at Takio Shrine, which is even further north than the Shiraito Falls...

All of this means that by the time we got back off the mountain the Toshogu--i.e. the main attraction at Nikko--was already closed for the day! The most we could see was the multi-story pagoda just before the gate which was still, admittedly, quite impressive. 

I guess this means I'll just have to go back to Nikko to see the Toshogu and perhaps visit the nearby national park or onsen.

Any volunteers to come with me? I promise I know the way now!