During a recent trip to Nikko we had the pleasure of staying a night at Nikko Astraea Hotel, also known as Kotoku Onsen Nikko Astoria Hotel. This hotel is located in Oku-Nikko (奥日光, lit. "inner" Nikko), a place that is situated within the Nikko National Park. With nothing else than forest in sight the location was excellent for enjoying the great outdoors, and for this trip our main purpose of the stay was to try out their cross-country skiing trails (I've written a separate post about cross country skiing in Nikko here).

Although Japan is most known for downhill skiing (you can check out all my blogposts about skiing in Japan here) there are some places where it is possible to try out cross country skiing as well. Last weekend I had the opportunity to try out cross country skiing in Nikko thanks to an event organised in leadership of former ambassador of Japan to Norway, Mr. Kawai. The event took place at Koutoku (光徳) in Oku-Nikko (lit. "Inner Nikko").

Japan has numerous hidden gems outside the so-called “golden route” stretching from the ancient capital of Kyoto to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. The city of Nikko is one of the many gems situated outside of the the typical tourist route that has become well-known throughout the whole world. Just a couple of hours by train north of Tokyo you can find Nikko and its famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the magnificent Tōshōgū Shrine (東照宮). In addition to its sheer beauty the shrine attracts tourists from all over the world as the place where one can visit the final resting spot of the Tokugawa Shogunate's founder, Tokugawa Ieyasu. If you're planning on a trip to Nikko then the Tōshōgū Shrine is without a doubt a must to visit.

Western carpet in Japanese room

A map of the summer house

The hidden garden in the center of the property

The summer house seen from the garden

After we were done sightseeing we enjoyed a cup of coffee at the small cafe inside the Memorial Park.



Address: 〒321-1434 栃木県日光市本町８−２７

The Imperial Villa is located 10 minutes by bus from the JR Tobu Nikko station, and can also be reached by foot by walking ten minutes to the west of the Shin-kyō bridge along the main road.

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Nikko Station Hotel Classic

Iwaiyado Jyuan Ryokan

Kinugawa Onsen Hotel

Nikkorisou Backpackers

• All blog posts from Nikko
• Sightseeing in Nikko: The Grand Autumn Festival Shuki Taisai (秋季大祭)
• Sightseeing in Nikko: A Visit to the World Heritage listed Toshogu Shrine (東照宮)
• Nikko: A visit to the Emperor's Summer House - The Tamozawa Imperial Villa
• Sightseeing in Nikko: The Kanmangafuchi Abyss (憾満ヶ淵) and Bake Jizo
• Nikko Hotels: Nikko Tokinoyuu Hotel (日光 季の遊)
• Nikko Nightlife: Bar de Nikko
• Nikko: A Cross-Country Skiing Experience in Oku-Nikko
• [Hotel Reviews] Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
- Anette

Entrance to the Kanmangafuchi river trail

The city of Nikko is surrounded by nature, and with its beautiful landscape it is a popular destination not only for people who want to visit the famous temples here but also among people who like to go hiking. If you however only have a short amount of time available in between temple visits and would want to spend a couple of hours in the nature there is a pleasant river walking trail you can take to go visit the hidden gem Kanmangafuchi Abyss (憾満ヶ淵). 
This gorge was created by an eruption of the nearby Mount Nantai around 7000 years ago, and along the walking trail you can find a row mystical of Jizo statues.

Entrance to Toki no Yuu

Festival participants waiting for the parade to begin

If you're planning on a visit to Nikko you might want to time it so that you get to see one of the local festivals as well. There are many events held throughout the year, such as the Grand Autumn Festival, also known as Shūki Taisai (秋季大祭). This annual event is taking place on the 16th-17th of October, and it is a smaller version of the Grand Spring Festival (Shunki Reitaisai). During the festival you can among other things see the Parade of 1,000 Samurai Warriors (百物揃千人武者行列 Hyakumono-Zoroe Sennin Gyoretsu). In reality the parade consists of not 1000 but 800 men dressed up in various historical costumes.

The parade began outside the entrance to the Taishōgun, which is Nikko's most famous temple. It is inside this temple area where the famous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu has his final resting place. This year the event was particular important, as it commemorates the 400 years since the death of the shogun, and as you can imagine the area was packed with people traveling from near and afar to enjoy the historical event.





I traveled to Nikko with my mother and stepfather to visit the famous temples here, and we timed it so that we could see parts of the big festival as well. Although we arrived in Nikko a bit later than planed we were extremely lucky with the timing. Because it had been raining slightly in the morning the festival was delayed with a couple of hours, which gave us just enough time to do some sightseeing at some of the minor temples before the actual festival began. We lined up by the entrance gate to the Taishōgun, and ended up getting a spectacular view of the parade from where we stood. Here are some of my pictures from the parade:

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Nikko Station Hotel Classic

Iwaiyado Jyuan Ryokan

Kinugawa Onsen Hotel

Nikkorisou Backpackers

• All blog posts from Nikko
• Sightseeing in Nikko: The Grand Autumn Festival Shuki Taisai (秋季大祭)
• Sightseeing in Nikko: A Visit to the World Heritage listed Toshogu Shrine (東照宮)
• Nikko: A visit to the Emperor's Summer House - The Tamozawa Imperial Villa
• Sightseeing in Nikko: The Kanmangafuchi Abyss (憾満ヶ淵) and Bake Jizo
• Nikko Hotels: Nikko Tokinoyuu Hotel (日光 季の遊)
• Nikko Nightlife: Bar de Nikko
• Nikko: A Cross Country Skiing Experience in Oku-Nikko
• [Hotel Reviews] Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National
• All blog posts about seasonal Kanto events
• Spring
• Hiking in Tokyo: Sakura viewing (花見) at Mount Takao
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Saitama: Pink Moss Viewing in Chichibu Hitsujiyama Park
• Summer
• Bon Odori Midsummer Festival in Ebisu (恵比寿駅前盆踊り)
• Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama - Pikachu Tairyou Hassei-Chu
• Summer in Tokyo: Ultra Japan at Tokyo Odaiba!
• Autumn
• Yokohama: Autumn Views at the Sankeien Garden
• Sightseeing in Nikko: The Grand Autumn Festival Shuki Taisai 
• Sightseeing in Saitama: The Kawagoe Festival
• Winter
• Chiba: Winter Illumination at the Country Farm Tokyo German Village
• Yokohama: Christmas Market at the Red Brick Warehouse

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
- Anette