Nikko in a Day or One Night: 2 Model Routes for Toshogu and Kegon Falls in Short Winter Hours

2 model routes for a day or night in Nikko

From November 1 to March 31, Nikko Toshogu is open 9:00–16:00, with last entry at 15:30.
Nikko Toshogu entry is ¥1,600 for adults and high school students; the round-trip Kegon Falls Elevator is ¥600 for adults.
Plan A is a day trip from Toshogu to Kegon Falls; Plan B stays overnight and visits Oku-Nikko on the morning of day 2.

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This page is for people with no plans or bookings yet. Follow it in order and you have a day trip or a 1-night trip to Nikko.

From November 1 to March 31, Nikko Toshogu is open 9:00–16:00 for visitors (last entry 15:30), one hour shorter than in summer. The Kegon Falls Elevator in Oku-Nikko is also open only 9:00–16:30 from December to February. Winter afternoons are short, so choose from the 2 plans below: see everything in one day, or stay a night and go up to Oku-Nikko on the morning of day 2.

In short

As a day trip: Plan A (Toshogu from 9:00, Tobu bus to Chuzenji Onsen, Kegon Falls Elevator, then back to Nikko Station).
With a night’s stay: Plan B (day 1 Toshogu and the Treasure Hall, stay in Nikko, day 2 Kegon Falls in the morning).
From Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko it takes about 1 hour 50 minutes on the Limited Express Kegon, and from Shinjuku to Tobu-Nikko about 2 hours on the JR Limited Express Nikko.

Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time). Fees and hours are subject to change.

1. Timetable of the 2 model routes for a day or a night in Nikko

In winter, entry to Toshogu ends at 15:30, so both plans start at Toshogu when it opens at 9:00. The times are guides based on each place’s opening hours and do not include travel time.

Day and time	Plan A (day trip)	Plan B (1 night)	Nearest station or bus stop
Day 1, from 9:00	Nikko Toshogu	Nikko Toshogu and the Treasure Hall	Tobu-Nikko Station, JR Nikko Station
Day 1, afternoon	Kegon Falls Elevator	Stay in Nikko	Chuzenji Onsen bus stop, 5 min on foot
Day 2, from 9:00	—	Kegon Falls Elevator	Chuzenji Onsen bus stop, 5 min on foot

Sources: the official sites of Nikko Toshogu and the Kegon Falls Elevator (checked November 1, 2026).

2. What to know in Nikko (short winter hours, the Irohazaka road, parking)

Nikko is split between the Sannai area, where Toshogu stands, and Oku-Nikko, up the Irohazaka road. In winter, closing times decide how long your day is.

To reach Kegon Falls in Oku-Nikko by public transport, take a Tobu bus for “Chuzenji Onsen / Yumoto Onsen” from Tobu-Nikko or JR Nikko Station, get off at Chuzenji Onsen and walk 5 minutes. By car, use the Kiyotaki IC on the Nikko-Utsunomiya Road and go up the Irohazaka road.
By car to Kegon Falls, it is about 50 minutes from the Utsunomiya IC via the Kiyotaki IC of the Nikko-Utsunomiya Road and the Irohazaka road.
If you drive, the Toshogu main car park has 200 spaces for standard cars at ¥600 once a day (no booking, open all year). The nearest to Kegon Falls are the Kegon No. 1 and No. 2 car parks, ¥500 once for a standard car.

3. Plan A: a day trip, from Toshogu to Kegon Falls

Nikko Toshogu

Visiting hours are 9:00–17:00 from April 1 to October 31 and 9:00–16:00 from November 1 to March 31; in both periods, entry ends 30 minutes before the gate closes. A Toshogu-only ticket is ¥1,600 for adults and high school students and ¥550 for elementary and junior high school students, and covers the Yomeimon Gate, the worship hall, the east corridor with the Sleeping Cat, the Okumiya inner shrine and the Honjido hall (Crying Dragon) (Nikko Toshogu, hours and fees (Japanese)).

Nikko City’s official channel: UNESCO World Heritage “Shrines and Temples of Nikko”, digest version

An audio guide for the grounds costs ¥500 a day and is lent out just inside the front gate, 9:00–15:00 from November to March.

Name	Nikko Toshogu
Address	2301 Sannai, Nikko City, Tochigi
Hours / Closed	9:00–16:00 (November 1–March 31), 9:00–17:00 (April 1–October 31). Tickets until 30 min before gate closing
Phone	0288-54-0560
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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Kegon Falls Elevator

This elevator takes you down about 100 m to a viewing platform close to the base of the 97 m Kegon Falls; the ride takes 1 minute each way. It is open 8:00–17:00 from March 1 to November 30 and 9:00–16:30 from December 1 to February 28. The round-trip fare is ¥600 for adults and ¥400 for elementary school children; preschool children are free. No booking is needed, and it is first come, first served (Kegon Falls Elevator, hours and fees (Japanese)).

Nikko City PR video “NEW DAY, NEW LIGHT. Autumn” (Nikko City’s official channel; Kegon Falls appears at about 0:12)

For a winter day trip, leave Toshogu before noon and take the bus; you will reach the elevator before it closes at 16:30.

Name	Kegon Falls Elevator
Address	2479-2 Chugushi, Nikko City, Tochigi
Hours / Closed	8:00–17:00 (March 1–November 30), 9:00–16:30 (December 1–February 28)
Phone	0288-55-0030
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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4. Plan B: stay a night and go up to Oku-Nikko on the morning of day 2

On day 1, take your time at Toshogu. The combined ticket for Toshogu and the Treasure Hall is ¥2,400 for adults and high school students and ¥870 for elementary and junior high school students; the Treasure Hall alone is ¥1,000 for adults and high school students.

On day 2, take the bus up to Chuzenji Onsen in the morning and ride the Kegon Falls Elevator from 9:00 (December to February) or 8:00 (March to November). If you come down the mountain before noon, you have time to spare for your limited express home.