Tokyo to Nikko: JR Pass route, times and the Tobu alternative

• Tokyo or Ueno to Utsunomiya by Yamabiko or Nasuno shinkansen: about 50 minutes.
• Change at Utsunomiya to the JR Nikko line: about 45 minutes to JR Nikko.
• Total door to door around 2 hours including the change.
• Fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, so the day costs you nothing in rail fare.

Tobu limited express trains run from Asakusa to Tobu Nikko in about 2 hours with no change, at roughly 3,050 yen one way. Tobu is a private railway, so a Japan Rail Pass is not valid.

If you hold a pass, take JR. If you do not, Tobu is usually simpler and cheaper, and it sells the Nikko area passes that include the local buses.

• JR Nikko and Tobu Nikko stations sit a few minutes apart at the bottom of the main street.
• Buses to Toshogu take about 10 minutes, and the shrines are also walkable in around 30 minutes.
• Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls are 45 minutes further by bus up the Irohazaka hairpins.
• Local buses are not JR, so buy a Nikko bus day pass if you plan to go up to the lake.

Late October and early November bring the strongest autumn colour in the Irohazaka valley, and also the heaviest traffic. Winter is quiet and clear but the upper road can close in snow. Start from Tokyo before 08:00 whatever the season, since the last convenient JR connection back leaves in the early evening.