A Must for Autumn Leaves in Japan | Two-Day Road Trip Guide to Nikko, Tochigi 🍁

Japan's two most charming seasons are spring with its cherry blossoms and autumn with its red leaves,

when you can feel the beauty of the changing seasons most clearly!

This time I want to share an autumn-leaf spot that really blew me away: Nikko in Tochigi. It has World Heritage sites, it's famous for its hot springs, and it's well worth a trip from the Tokyo area🤍

A friend planned this two-day road trip for us: good food, hot springs and beautiful scenery. It was packed yet relaxing, so here it is🫠

🚗 Itinerary Day 1

🎀Lunch in central Nikko | the local specialty "ゆば" (yuba, which is basically Taiwan's tofu skin!)

Along the way there are many long-running shops that specialize in all-yuba meals. At first I thought it would be bland, but it was amazing!

You can taste the natural sweetness of the soybeans, and it's light and easy on the stomach🥣

🎀Toshogu Shrine, a World Heritage site and the shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu⛩️

The buildings are dazzling with gold, and just visiting can take 1–2 hours. Must-sees: the Sleeping Cat carving and the Three Monkeys carving. The omamori charms are really distinctive too; I highly recommend getting one as a souvenir!

🎀Futarasan Shrine

Right next to Toshogu, with a quiet, solemn atmosphere⛩️✨

🎀Lake Chuzenji

The lakeside scenery is magnificent, perfect for a walk, zoning out and quietly taking in the autumn lake and mountains⛰️

🎀Checking in at a Kinugawa Onsen hotel

A long-established hotel full of Japanese atmosphere🏨

The lobby has a yukata corner where guests can pick whatever they like~

We chose the plan with breakfast + dinner buffet. The food was refined and fresh with a huge selection, and I was so excited I went back for several rounds hahahaha

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Day 2

🎀Kobu Shrine (古峯神社)

A shrine deep in the mountains with 1300 years of history. It's famous for tengu, and you can see all kinds of tengu masks inside.

The surroundings are peaceful and beautiful, but there are a lot of mountain roads, so if you get carsick, remember to bring motion sickness pills.

🎀さんしょう家

A set-meal restaurant run by a grandpa and grandma, known for dishes made with sansho pepper, a specialty of Ashio.

The portions are big, the food is delicious and the prices are super reasonable. The owner is so friendly you can really feel the sincerity. I highly recommend this place!

🎀Ashio Copper Mine tour

Known as "Japan's No. 1 mine," with 400 years of history.

You ride a mine cart into dim tunnels lined with scenes of mining from back then and mannequin models, so realistic it's a bit creepy! But also really educational👍

🎀Kiryu Tenmangu Shrine (Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture)

We made a detour to visit here before heading back to Tokyo, as the last stop of the trip🤍

🎀Dinner | a jazz restaurant in Takadanobaba, Shinjuku

Back in Tokyo, we picked a very Instagrammable jazz restaurant with a great atmosphere. The pasta was delicious and classy, the perfect ending to the trip

🌟 Thoughts on the Trip

Nikko is really worth a two-day road trip. You can see the autumn leaves, experience history and culture, relax at a hot spring hotel and try local specialties. Compared with the better-known spots around Tokyo, Nikko has more depth and more surprises. Highly, highly recommend!

Finally, here are some photos I took with a film camera🤳 I really recommend the うつるん

More of my everyday life and travels in Japan on IG ✨🐰💗

https://www.instagram.com/isnt_0120/?igsh=MXc5Zm55aWJ0dm1yaw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr