Once again I was surprised by Japan!
Everyone tells you that the landscape in Nikko is great but it was even better than expected!
Go there late in the year to avoid the tourist crowds and get up early 🙂
The main sightseeing spots, and famous trails getting crowded after 9:00 am, even after the “Koyo – red leafs” season!
For my part, I have seen a lot of shrines and gates in Japan and therefore we only visited Toshogu (东照宫) with the carving of the three monkeys. That was actually one of the most beautiful shrines I’ve ever seen.
So instead of queuing up, we were hiking from Lake Chuzenji (中禅寺湖) up to the mountains, where there was already snow (Mt Shirane trail).
The next day, we did a portion of the route with our MTBs: narrow wooden paths and forest trails. However, this was only possible because we got up at 5:45 and had to share the trails with only some wildlife photographers . After 6:30 those populate the whole path with their huge camera lenses. What they are looking for? I’m still not sure!
All in all, a perfect weekend! Even if the nights in the camper van were more than just cold! Nikko is really worth a visit, and you should not only plan a one day trip!
Klaus the camper van 