Getting There
The easiest, fastest, and most luxurious way to get to Nikko is on the privately owned Tobu Line's Limited Express, called the Spacia, which departs every hour or more frequently from Asakusa Station. The cost is ¥2,620 ($22/£11) one-way for the 1-hour-and-50-minute trip on weekdays and ¥2,720 ($23/£11) on weekends and holidays (most trains require a transfer at Shimo-Imaichi Station). All seats are reserved, which means you are guaranteed a seat; if you're traveling on a holiday or a summer weekend, you may wish to purchase and reserve your ticket in advance. Another plus is that there's usually an English-speaking hostess on board who passes out pamphlets on the area and can answer sightseeing questions about Nikko.
Otherwise, you can reach Nikko on Tobu's slower rapid train from Asakusa, which costs ¥1,320 ($11/£5.55) one-way and takes 2 hours and 10 minutes, with trains departing every hour or more frequently. There are no reserved seats, which means you might have to stand if trains are crowded.
You can also travel to Nikko via JR train. If you're visiting Mashiko, you can save yourself the hassle of buying train tickets from different rail companies by taking the JR Utsunomiya Line (also called Tohoku Honsen Line) from Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Ueno to JR Utsunomiya Station for the bus to Mashiko, and then continuing onward from JR Utsunomiya Station to Nikko (the Tobu Line does not travel between Utsunomiya and Nikko). Faster but more expensive is the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Utsunomiya (there are departures every 20-40 min. and the trip takes about 55 min.), where you change for the train to Nikko (45 min.).
Visitor Information
Before leaving Tokyo, pick up the Nikko leaflet from the Tourist Information Center (TIC). It gives the train schedule for both the Tobu Line, which departs from Asakusa Station, and JR trains that depart from Shinjuku Station. The TIC also has color brochures with maps of the Nikko area.
Nikko's Tobu and JR stations are located almost side by side in the village's downtown area. Nikko Tobu Station tourist information counter (tel. 0288/53-4511; www.nikko-jp.org; open daily 8:30am-5pm), located inside Tobu Station, has staff who can give you a map, answer basic questions, and point you in the right direction. You can also make hotel and ryokan reservations here for ¥100 (85¢/40p). The Nikko Information Center (tel. 0288/54-2496; open daily 9am-5pm), located on the left side of the main road leading from the train station to Toshogu Shrine (next to Eneos gas station), has English-speaking staff and lots of information in English about Nikko, including information on public hot springs.
Getting Around
Toshogu Shrine and its mausoleum are on the edge of town, but you can walk from either the JR or Tobu train stations to the shrine in about half an hour. Head straight out the main exit, pass the bus stands, and then turn right. Signs in English point the way throughout town. Keep walking on this main road (you'll pass the Nikko Information Center about halfway down on the left side, as well as souvenir shops) until you come to a T-intersection with a vermilion-colored bridge spanning a river (about a 15-min. walk from the train stations). The stone steps opposite lead up the hill into the woods and to Toshogu Shrine. You can also travel from Tobu Station by bus, getting off at either the Shinkyo (a 7-min. ride) or Nishi Sando (a 10-min. ride) bus stops.
