JR PassTemplesNatureUNESCO2 Days
Tokyo to Nikkō with the Japan Rail Pass: route, stops & what it costs
Gyoza in a railway town, then a mountain shrine of gilded carving deep in the cedars.
Plan this trip interactively ↗
Pass vs. single tickets
🎫 JR Pass 7-day
¥50,000
7-day unlimited · Yamabiko + JR Nikkō Line · ~1h 35m ride
🚄 Single tickets
¥5,470
Tokyo–Utsunomiya–Nikkō return · Shinkansen + local
Route timeline
- 1
Tokyo
Stay 2 daysHighlights- Sensō-ji Temple — Lantern-lit Asakusa temple approached through a corridor of snack and souvenir stalls. Free to visit
- teamLab Planets — Wade barefoot through knee-deep water and mirrored rooms of drifting light in Toyosu. Book tour / ticket ↗
- 🚆 Yamabiko · 50m2
Utsunomiya
Stay half dayHighlights- Utsunomiya Gyoza — The self-styled dumpling capital, with rival gyoza counters ringing the station. Free to visit
- Ōya History Museum — A cavernous underground quarry of soft grey stone, cool and cathedral-quiet year round. Book tour / ticket ↗
- Futaarayama Shrine — The city’s thousand-year-old guardian shrine atop a rise of broad stone steps. Free to visit
- Utsunomiya Castle Ruins Park — Reconstructed white turrets and earthen ramparts over a green former castle ground. Free to visit
- 🚆 JR Nikkō Line · 45m3
Nikkō
Stay 1 dayHighlights- Tōshō-gū Shrine — Shogun Ieyasu’s wildly ornate mausoleum, all gold, dragons and the three wise monkeys. Book tour / ticket ↗
- Shinkyō Bridge — A lacquer-red arched bridge over the rushing Daiya at the entrance to the shrines. Free to visit
- Rinnō-ji — Nikkō’s great temple, its hall of three gilded giant Buddhas rising over the cedars. Book tour / ticket ↗
- Kegon Falls — A 97-metre plume of Lake Chūzenji water plunging off a cliff, best from the base elevator. Book tour / ticket ↗
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Japan Rail Pass worth it from Tokyo to Nikkō?
- 🎫 JR Pass 7-day costs ¥50,000, versus 🚄 Single tickets at ¥5,470.
- How many stops are on the Tokyo–Nikkō route?
- 3 stops: Tokyo, Utsunomiya, Nikkō.