One night two days two itinerary (Example: case1):
1st day:
JR Takasaki station start = Ryuzu-waterfall (from 12pm / 30min）＝Lunch near Chuzenji-lake (from 1pm / 60min) ＝Cruising on Chuzenji-lake（from 2:30pm / 60min）＝Kegon water fall (from3:40pm / 60min) = Kinugawa-hot spring
2nd day:
Starting from Kinugawa hot spring(9:10am) = Kinutateiwa big suspension bridge (9:10am / 30min) = Nikko Toshogu shrine, Rinnoji temple, Futarasan shrine & Lunch (from 10am / 4hours ) = Sopping at Nikko roadside station (2:30pm / 50min) = Returning to JR takasaki station

One night two days two itinerary (Example: case2):
1st day:
JR Tokyo station start (8am)= Kegon-waterfall (from 11:30am / 60min）＝Lunch near Chuzenji-lake (from 12:50pm / 60min) ＝Cruising on Chuzenji-lake（from 2:30pm / 60min）＝Chuzenji temple (from3:40pm / 40min) = Hot spring near Chuzenji lake
2nd day:
Starting from Hot spring near Chizenji lake (9am) = Senjyogahara walk in marshland(9:30am / 60min) = Ryuzu water fall (from 10:50am / 40min) = Nikko Toshogu shrine, Rinnoji temple, Futarasan shrine & Lunch (from 12:00pm / 3hours) = Returning to JR Tokyo station

I put various tour spots which are pointed in the altitude drawing shown by arrows below.

As you can see in the drawing, Nikko area consists of four layers plateau as follows.
The first layer is located on altitude from around 500m to the position below Iroha slope where you can mainly visit Nikko Toshogu shrine, Futara shrine, Rinnoji temple , Edo wonderland, Monkey Gundan park and so-on.
The second layer is located on altitude from the point of upper of Iroha slope to the bottom of Ryutou fall around 1300m altitude where you can see Akechi daira & Ropeway, Chuzenji lake, Kegon fall and so-on.
The third layer is located on altitude around 1400m upper Ryuzu fall where very wide Senjogahara plain is spread over the area.
The fourth layer is located on altitude around 1500m upper of Yunotaki fall where you can see Yunoko lake and enjoy OkuNikko Yumoto onsen/hotspring. There are so many spots which tourist can enjoy including both nature created ,ancient human created and modern people created.

＜How Chuzenji lake and Kegon fall were created ?>
Chuzennji lake is located near Nantai mountain on the altitude of 1269meter. This lake is on the highest place (1269meter) in Japan. Between around 25k ~ 15k years ago, the large eruption continuously occurred on one of Nikko mountain area and Nantai mountain was created. This collapse of volcanic edifice created current beautiful Chuzenji-lake by damming up two rivers which used to be near Nantai mountain. As the result, two rivers existed in previous stage has become a large lake by a large amount of water accumulated. From the lake, Kegon fall flow out into a lower stage land.
1. Chuzenji lake:

2. Kegon fall:
Thanks to the multiple layers of enormous ground in Nikko area, Kegon -fall was created from which water flow from Chuzenji lake to a lower stage land. As shown in Nikko altitude sketch shown above, Nikko area consists of four layers plateau as follows. This waterfall exists thanks to the water coming down from Chuzenji-lake on the third layer.

3. Senjyogahara walk in marshland :
The course of Senjyogahara walk in marshland is as follows.
– We arrive at Akanuma information center with Van parked on the parking place there.
– We enter the hiking course from the entrance near the center.
– After we walk around 200 meters on earth road, we reach a wooden road and walk toward Yunoko-lake.
– This hiking plan is around one hour walking both way between entrance of Akanuma and an area of a view point of Senjyogahara where you can see it clearly without no obstruction. We return back to Akanuma entrance. If you walk through Yunok-lake as complete way, it will take around 3 hours / 8km.

4. Ryuzu waterfall :
As shown in Nikko altitude sketch shown above, Nikko area consists of four layers plateau as follows. This waterfall exists thanks to the water coming down from Yunoko-lake on the fourth layer.This waterfall flow down on the lava over 210 meters created by an eruption of Nantai mountain. We walk down from the upper side spot of the waterfall to the final spots of Ryuzu waterfall which flow into the waterfall basin by walking down the road with seeing various types of water flow view and surrounding landscape.The width of the lava is around 10 meters.

5: Yunoko-lake:
This lake is located on the 4th layer Nikko land and you will feel mysterious and profound atmosphere.

<<Shrines and Temples of Nikko>>:
Shrines and Temples of Nikko are registered as World culture heritage in 1999 by evaluated with following criteria.
1) The ancient buildings in Nikko are the masterpieces of human creative talent by genius artists.
2) The religious style in Nikko based on ancient Shinto thought are creating religious world combined with bless taking nature and those have been come down up to now. The subjects of registered buildings are 103 numbers of building and surrounding cultural scenery.
– Futarasan Shrine
– Toshogu shrine
– Rinnoji temple
Shinto which is the native religion of Japan and Buddhism imported from China in 538 had been combined and worshipped as one religion system called as “Syncretistic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism” and this system had continued for around 1200 years until the new policy called as “Separation of Buddhism.
Shintoism “has been applied as Separation of Buddhism and Shintoism in 1868 after Meiji restoration.
Therefore, Shrines and temples had been founded with combined and worshipped also on wide bless-taking Nikko mountain area for around 1200 years.
Separation of Buddhism and Shintoism was applied as Government policy in 1867 which aims that a clear distinguish between Shinto/Shrine and Buddhism/temple must be kept.
However, even at present, you can see some remaining facts of Syncretistic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism in Toshogu shrine as one of the examples where Five stories pagoda of Buddhism related is built inside Toshogu shrine.

6. Toshogu shrine :
Toshogu shrine is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu who was the top greatest worriers who succeeded in unifying Japan and made a great contributions to establishing peace in Japan for 270 years from 1603 to 1867 by his same family government until Meiji restoration had started in 1867. This shrine was founded in 1617 after Ieyasu died based on his will that he wanted to protect Japan by placing himself deified in taboo direction of this shrine from Edo castle even after his death.

7. Rinnoji temple:
This temple includes all buildings of Buddhism temples in Nikko mountains.

8. Futarasan shrine :
Futarasan shrine has deified the divine spirits of various mountains in Nikko including Futarasan (Nantaisan). This shrine used to be the sacred place of Asceticism and after Edo-era (1603 started), this shrine had considered to be important effected by Toshogu shrine. This shrine includes all Shinto related building in Nikko mountain area except Toshogu shrine.

9. Chuzenji temple :
This temple was founded in 784 by the Shoudo-Shonin who was the founder of Nikko mountain. This temple is a branch temple of Rinnoji temple.

10. Shinkyo bridge Sacred Bridge :
The arched vermilion bridge and the quiet green forest in the background displays an exquisite effect of beauty.

This company named Japan Van Tours can support you for your great tour experience in all over Japan with a National licensed tour guide accompanied for you with detail tour spots explanation, Van service for you , hotel & lunch reservation, dinner party and so-on. As such way, our company can provide an integrated tour service for you so that you can order to us with little labor. Also, we can create your best tour according to your requests. The number of tourists can be covered with several options such as 2 – 3 people, 4 – 7 people, 8 – 15people fitting to Van size.
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