Akane
We hope to make a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko. I’ve tried researching, but haven’t quite understood or found enough information on exactly how to go around the area once we arrive in Nikko.
We plan to arrive at Nikko at around 10:30 AM. Our return train is at around 7:00 PM. So, we’ll have about 8 hours to spend in Nikko.
In this time frame, is there time to go to the Lake, take a lake cruise and also visit the temples/shrines that are nearer to Nikko station? Is it better to visit one area first? I could not find info on the bus schedule or the boat schedule.
Thank you so much for your help.
Akane
You should be able to go to the lake and visit a few temples/shrines if you have a full day.
You can spend half a day seeing the shrines and temples, and the other half at Chuzenji/Kegon Falls.
If you aren't visiting during peak periods (foliage for example) or the weekend, then the order you visit each area isn't very important. Visiting the shrines/temples first or the Lake Chuzenji/Kegon Falls doesn't matter much.
As for the bus timetable website, click on the bus stop name, figure out which direction you are going. They come around often enough. The timetable columns are labeled from right to left weekday/Saturday/Sunday&holidays.
http://www.tobu-bus.com/en/nikko/
The Chuzenji boat cruise departs every 30 minutes after the hour throughout the day between mid-April to end of November. The cruise lasts 60 minutes if you take the entire round course.
There are passes you can use to visit Nikko but it depends on how you plan to get to Nikko to start.
