Day Trip from Tokyo to Nikko | Tobu Limited Expresses from Asakusa (SPACIA X, Revaty) Compared with Routes from Shinjuku and Tokyo Station, NIKKO PASS vs. Individual Ticket Totals, and a Route to Toshogu and Rinnoji Before Closing

Overview

Nikko is a town about 2 hours from Asakusa Station in Tokyo by Tobu Railway limited express. It is home to the World Heritage "Shrines and Temples of Nikko": Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple and Nikko Futarasan-jinja Shrine. Shinkyo Bridge, at the entrance to the shrines and temples, is about 20 minutes on foot from Tobu-Nikko Station. The times, fares and visiting hours in this article were checked on the official websites of each company, temple and shrine on October 21, 2026.

• From Tokyo, you can take a Tobu limited express from Asakusa Station to Tobu-Nikko Station, take a limited express that runs through from JR onto the Tobu lines from Shinjuku Station to Tobu-Nikko Station, or take the Tohoku Shinkansen and the JR Nikko Line from Tokyo Station to JR Nikko Station.
• Tobu Railway's "NIKKO PASS world heritage area" (adult ¥3,000) is a ticket for travelers coming from outside Japan. It includes a round trip on non-limited-express trains on the Tobu lines between Asakusa Station and Shimo-Imaichi Station, and Tobu Bus rides from Tobu-Nikko Station to the area near the shrines and temples.
• Sales of Rinnoji Temple's "Rinnoji ticket" end earlier in the day than other admission tickets. From November to March, Toshogu, Rinnoji and Futarasan-jinja close their gates at 16:00. For this reason, the route in this article takes the bus to Shinkyo Bridge as soon as you arrive at the station and visits Rinnoji first.

1. Take a Tobu limited express from Asakusa Station to Tobu-Nikko Station.
2. Take a Tobu Bus from Tobu-Nikko Station to the "Shinkyo" bus stop and see Shinkyo Bridge.
3. Walk to Sanbutsudo Hall of Rinnoji Temple.
4. Walk to Nikko Toshogu Shrine.
5. Walk to Nikko Futarasan-jinja Shrine and to Taiyuin of Rinnoji Temple.
6. Take a Tobu Bus from the "Nishisando Iriguchi" bus stop back to Tobu-Nikko Station, and return to Asakusa Station on the Tobu lines.

Comparison

Ways to Get There from Tokyo Compared

• The times are examples of one train each from the Tobu Railway limited express timetable (for the timetable revision of March 14, 2026) and the JR East timetable. There are trains at other times too. Check the times for your travel date in each company's timetable.
• The travel time for Tobu non-limited-express trains is the guide given in Tobu Railway's NIKKO PASS information.
• JR Nikko Station and Tobu-Nikko Station are separate stations. Tobu Buses leave from in front of both stations.
• Return examples: SPACIA X No. 12, departing Tobu-Nikko Station at 17:44, arrives at Asakusa Station at 19:35. SPACIA Nikko No. 4, departing Tobu-Nikko Station at 16:38, arrives at Shinjuku Station at 18:35.

Tobu Limited Express Charges Differ by Date

The Tobu limited express charge between Asakusa Station and Tobu-Nikko Station changes depending on whether your travel date falls in the "regular period", the "peak period" or the "off-peak period". The peak period is 200 yen more than the regular period, and the off-peak period is 200 yen less than the regular period.

• Which dates are in the peak period or the off-peak period is shown in Tobu Railway's "Seasonal Charge Calendar". For example, the peak-period dates in November 2026 are the 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 21st through 23rd, 28th and 29th.
• The limited express charge for the SPACIA X Premium Seat is ¥2,520 in the regular period.
• Unlike the limited express charge, the fare is the same on every date.
• The charge for the limited expresses from Shinjuku Station that run through from JR onto the Tobu lines does not change by date.

NIKKO PASS world heritage area vs. the Total of Individual Tickets

For the route in this article (Asakusa Station → Tobu-Nikko Station → shrines and temples → Tobu-Nikko Station → Asakusa Station), the adult fares for a round trip on non-limited-express trains are as follows.

• The fare on the Tobu lines between Asakusa Station and Tobu-Nikko Station is ¥1,400 one way. A round trip costs twice that.
• Tobu Bus's "World Heritage Area Bus Free Pass", which lets you ride Tobu Buses between Tobu-Nikko Station and the shrines and temples as many times as you like on the same day, is adult ¥600.
• These two add up to ¥3,400. Using the NIKKO PASS world heritage area (adult ¥3,000) saves you ¥400.

When you ride a limited express, you buy a limited express ticket for that train separately even if you have the NIKKO PASS. The same limited express ticket is needed when you travel on individual tickets, so even if you ride a limited express, the NIKKO PASS is still ¥400 cheaper.

• The one-way adult Tobu Bus fare from Tobu-Nikko Station is ¥220 to "Shinkyo" and ¥350 to "Nishisando Iriguchi". The Tobu Bus fare table lists the amounts for rides starting from the station. Amounts for the opposite direction (from the shrines and temples to the station) are not listed in this table.
• The child (ages 6 to 11) NIKKO PASS world heritage area is ¥1,500.

If You Also Go to Kegon Falls

Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls are higher up in the mountains than the shrines and temples of Nikko. From Tobu-Nikko Station to the "Chuzenji-onsen" bus stop, it takes about 48 minutes by Tobu Bus (one-way adult fare ¥1,250). The section up to Chuzenji-onsen is not included in the Tobu Bus sections you can ride with the NIKKO PASS world heritage area.

• The round-trip fare on the Tobu lines (twice the one-way fare) plus Tobu Bus's "Chuzenji Onsen Bus Free Pass" (adult ¥2,300, valid for 2 days) comes to ¥5,100. The Chuzenji Onsen Bus Free Pass also covers the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
• The "NIKKO PASS all area", which covers rides as far as Chuzenji-onsen, is adult ¥8,000 and child ¥4,000 (valid for 4 days). If you only visit the shrines and temples and Kegon Falls in one day, the total of individual tickets is ¥2,900 cheaper. The NIKKO PASS all area also includes all Tobu Bus routes in Nikko and the Lake Chuzenji sightseeing boat (from mid-April to November 30, one ride), among other things.

If You Use a JR Pass

• The JAPAN RAIL PASS covers only JR sections. When you take a limited express from Shinjuku Station that runs through from JR onto the Tobu lines, you pay the fare and charges for the Tobu section (from Kurihashi Station to Tobu-Nikko Station) separately. You cannot ride the Tobu limited expresses that leave from Asakusa Station with the JAPAN RAIL PASS. For details, see JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Pass): Prices and How to Use It | Prices on the Official Website and from Agents Outside Japan, How to Buy, and How to Ride Nozomi and Mizuho.
• With JR East's "JR TOKYO Wide Pass" (adult ¥16,000, child ¥8,000, 3 consecutive days), you can ride the ordinary-car reserved seats of the limited expresses that run through from JR onto the Tobu lines. You can ride these limited expresses with the JR TOKYO Wide Pass only when the station where you board, the station where you get off, or both are JR stations. You cannot ride limited expresses that you board and leave only at Tobu stations (such as those leaving from Asakusa Station).
• A round trip between Shinjuku Station and Tobu-Nikko Station on the limited express that runs through from JR onto the Tobu lines costs ¥8,280 in fares and limited express charges combined. For this round trip alone, paying the fares and limited express charges is cheaper than buying the JR TOKYO Wide Pass.

Itinerary

A Route Timed to the Gate Closing Times

The table is in the order you visit the places on this article's route.

• At Toshogu, Rinnoji and Futarasan-jinja alike, admission sales end 30 minutes before the gates close. The Rinnoji ticket is an exception: its sales end at an earlier time.
• Rinnoji ticket sales run until 14:30 from April to October, and until 13:30 from November to March. According to Rinnoji, visiting Sanbutsudo Hall and Taiyuin with the Rinnoji ticket takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. There are also admission tickets for Sanbutsudo Hall only and for Taiyuin only; sales of these single tickets run until 30 minutes before the gates close. This article's route visits Rinnoji's Sanbutsudo Hall first, which makes it easier to get there before Rinnoji ticket sales end.
• The Toshogu admission ticket lets you see the Yomeimon Gate, the Sleeping Cat (Nemuri-neko), the Okumiya (Inner Shrine) and more. The Treasure Museum has a separate charge.
• On the way back, take a Tobu Bus to Tobu-Nikko Station from the "Nishisando Iriguchi" bus stop, about 10 minutes on foot from Futarasan-jinja.
• The walking times from the bus stops are the Nikko City Tourism Association's estimates. The walking time from Tobu-Nikko Station to Shinkyo Bridge is the estimate given on the official website of Shinkyo Bridge. The walking times between the shrines and temples are not officially published. The Nikko City Tourism Association says that just looking around the shrines and temples takes about 3 to 4 hours.
• The charge for crossing Shinkyo Bridge is the amount in the Nikko City Tourism Association's price list.
• Child admission: at Toshogu, ¥550 for elementary and junior high school students; the Rinnoji ticket, ¥400 for elementary and junior high school students; Shinen Garden at Futarasan-jinja, ¥100 for elementary, junior high and high school students.

Kegon Falls

• The "Kegon Falls Elevator", 5 minutes on foot from the "Chuzenji-onsen" bus stop, takes you down to a viewing spot near the bottom of the falls (round trip: adult ¥600, elementary school students ¥400, free for children not yet in elementary school). From March 1 to November 30, it runs from 8:00 to 17:00.
• Tobu Bus says its buses can be greatly delayed when the roads are congested. The Nikko City Tourism Association says that Irohazaka, the winding road up to Lake Chuzenji, normally takes about 20 minutes to go up, but in the autumn foliage season it often takes 2 to 3 hours when congested. Tobu Bus says that in the autumn foliage season and similar busy periods, many people wait for buses bound for Tobu-Nikko Station at the Chuzenji-onsen bus terminal.

Where to Eat

This article does not name specific restaurants. The Nikko City Tourism Association says there are many places to eat in the temple town along the road from the area in front of the station to Shinkyo Bridge. It also says that once you cross Shinkyo Bridge and enter the hillside area where the shrines and temples are, places to eat are limited.

Conditions

Rules of the NIKKO PASS world heritage area

• It is valid for 2 consecutive days.
• On the Tobu lines, you can ride non-limited-express trains between Asakusa Station (or Tokyo Skytree Station) and Shimo-Imaichi Station once on the way there and once on the way back. On the Tobu lines between Shimo-Imaichi Station, Tobu-Nikko Station and Shin-Fujiwara Station, you can get on and off freely.
• On Tobu Buses, you can get on and off freely between Tobu-Nikko Station and the "Rengeishi" bus stop, on buses such as the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
• When you ride a limited express, you buy a limited express ticket separately.
• Admission fees for the shrines and temples are not included.
• It cannot be used when you travel on the limited expresses from Shinjuku Station or Ikebukuro Station that run through from JR onto the Tobu lines.

Buying the NIKKO PASS

• It can be bought by travelers of foreign nationality coming from outside Japan, and by Japanese nationals traveling with them. According to Tobu Railway's FAQ, you need to show your passport when you buy it.
• The digital version used on a smartphone can be bought on TOBU Japan Trip Tickets, Tobu's sales site for visitors to Japan (membership registration required).
• The paper ticket can be bought at places such as TOBU Tourist Information Center Asakusa at Asakusa Station on the Tobu lines (open 7:20 to 19:00). Tobu Railway says that in autumn and in the morning, buying the NIKKO PASS there can take 30 to 60 minutes.
• An unused NIKKO PASS can be refunded within its validity period for a fee (¥220 per pass according to Tobu Railway's FAQ).

Buying Tobu Limited Express Tickets

• Limited express tickets go on sale at 9:00 a.m. one month before the travel date.
• Tobu Railway's website says Tobu limited express tickets can be bought on TOBU Japan Trip Tickets, its sales site for visitors to Japan, and on "Tobuchike!", its Japanese-language reservation service. They can also be bought at station ticket machines and ticket counters.
• Limited express tickets for the limited expresses from Shinjuku Station that run through from JR onto the Tobu lines cannot be bought on TOBU Japan Trip Tickets, Tobuchike! or at ticket machines at Tobu stations. Online, you buy them on JR East's reservation site "Ekinet". You cannot ride these limited expresses with only a transit IC card such as Suica or PASMO. Buy a limited express ticket and a fare ticket before you board.

Child Fares on the Tobu Lines and Tobu Buses

• On the Tobu lines, junior high school students and older pay adult prices, and elementary school students pay child prices. The child fare between Asakusa Station and Tobu-Nikko Station is ¥700. The child limited express charge is half the adult limited express charge (amounts less than 10 yen are rounded up to 10 yen).
• On Tobu Buses too, junior high school students and older pay adult prices, and elementary school students pay child prices. The child fare is half the adult fare (amounts less than 10 yen are rounded up to 10 yen). The child World Heritage Area Bus Free Pass is ¥300, and the child Chuzenji Onsen Bus Free Pass is ¥1,150.
• You can also ride Tobu Buses with a transit IC card such as Suica or PASMO.
• For the NIKKO PASS, children are defined by age: 6 to 11 years old. For Tobu line and Tobu Bus fares, whether someone counts as a child depends on whether they are an elementary school student.

Good to know

Notes

• Times, fares, charges and visiting hours were checked on the official websites of each company, temple and shrine on October 21, 2026. They may change, so check the official websites before you go.
• The totals are sums calculated in this article from each company's official fares and charges.
• JR fares and limited express charges are not listed because JR East's official fare page could not be opened on the day this article was written.
• Toshogu's closing days are not given on Toshogu's official website. Toshogu says the areas open to visitors may be limited because of festivals, events or repairs.
• According to the Nikko City Tourism Association's 2026 information, the forecast peak times for autumn foliage are mid-October to early November for Irohazaka, Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls, and early to mid-November for the shrines and temples of Nikko. Trains, buses and roads are crowded during the autumn foliage season and consecutive holidays. Japan's consecutive holidays and busy periods are covered in Japan Public Holidays 2027 and Busy Periods | New Year, Golden Week, Obon, 3-Day Weekends, Shinkansen Busy Seasons and All-Reserved Nozomi.