Nikko Part 1 - Chuzenjiko to Yumoto Onsen

We stayed 2 nights in Nikko which allowed us to enjoy both the nearby National Park, as well as the many temples and shrines that Nikko is famous for.

After a long day travelling from Fujiyama, we arrived quite late in the afternoon to find that all the temples etc closed at 4 pm! So we had a relatively quiet evening checking out the Shinkyo Bridge across the river at the front entry into the temple complex and looking around the actual town of Nikko. I'll put a photo of the bridge in the next blog entry. Our accomodation for our stay was the really wonderful minshuku Rindo-no-ie ("Welcoming Inn") with some very friendly and charming elderly hosts. The soak in the bath was also a highlight at the end of the day after our walking and travels.

Nikko overlooking the Daiya-gawa

We got up early the next morning and caught the bus through to Ryuzu-no-taki (taki/daki = waterfall) in Nikko National Park. The autumn colours has almost disappeared up here in the highlands but there are still patches around and the bare bark on the trees actually looks quite beautiful. It was super cold and icy at the waterfall so we didn't stay long as it was in a shady valley. Was much warmer out in the sun. We started our 3 hour walk for the day through the Senjogohara Plateau marshlands, past Yu-daki Falls, Lake Yu-no-ko and finishing at the Yumoto Onsen where there was this much welcomed foot bath! It was very peaceful walking with few people this time of year, having finished the main autumn leaf viewing. We've actually found pretty much everywhere reasonably quiet, which makes it so much easier for getting on transport.

Dave on the nature trail heading towards the Senjogohara Plateau

(all the green stuff is a type of bamboo)

The Senjogohara Plateau marshlands

Yu-daki

Yu-no-ko

Yumoto Onsen at the head of Yu-no-ko

Dave soaking his feet in the foot onsen

Heading back on the bus, we stopped off again briefly at Chuzenji-ko and Kegon-daki before heading back in to Nikko where we got a 2 day pass for  the temples etc and had a look at Taiyuin-byo (also in the next blog entry).

Kegon-daki

Chuzenji-ko and Nantai-san (the volcano that formed the lake when one of it's flows blocked the valley)