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Futarasan Shrine, Nikko

Dotted with spots of blessings that bring happiness

Nikko Futaarasan Shrine, located next to Nikko Toshogu Shrine, is a popular spot for worshippers to seek blessings, as it is famous for bringing good luck in various areas, such as work, family, marriage, and friends. The shrine's precincts are dotted with spots that offer blessings.

Shinto garden with various power spots

Tomo Tomo Shrine

Entering the shrine garden of the Futaarasan Shrine in Nikko, Tomoyu Shrine is located at the end of the shrine. The deity, Sukubikono-no-mikoto, is known as the god of learning and wisdom, and is visited by students and adults alike.

Bamboos for matchmaking

Right next to Tomono-jinja Shrine is the "Bamboo for Marriage". It was transplanted from a bamboo branch at Takio Shrine, a separate shrine of the Futaarasan Shrine in Nikko. It is said that the bamboos are blessed with all kinds of luck. The tradition of "tying a bamboo branch to invite good luck" originated at the shrine. Praying for good karma, visitors can write their wishes on strips of paper purchased on the shrine grounds and tie a "good karma knot" at the knotting place.

Ring toss to test your luck

Behind the "En-musubi no bamboos," there is a "ring toss to test your luck. If you want to improve your luck at work, in the game, or in money, try it.

Walking through the sacred tree

The sacred tree is nearly 2 meters in diameter. The deity is "Kukunochi no Kami. It is said that by quietly walking through the sacred tree, you can purify your soul and become a new you. A 550-year-old cedar tree was cut down because the inside of its trunk had become hollow. Visitors can go through the hollow part of the tree while ringing a gyojin bell and praying for their wishes to come true.

Azumaya (Shrine Cafe Kaiun)

There is also a small café "Azumaya" in the shrine garden, where visitors can enjoy coffee, powdered green tea, and sweet sake made with sacred water from the "Reisen" spring in a sacred place.
*Open from 9:00 to 15:30.

Komainu (guardian dogs) for good karma

The "Good Marriage" guardian dogs are located on the left side of the Nikko Futaarasan Shrine, in front of the entrance to the shrine garden. There are ribbons in five different colors depending on your wish, so please choose the color closest to your feelings at the time and tie a knot.

Good luck charm

The amulets here at Nikko Futaarasan Shrine are very popular among those who wish to carry their blessings with them and to bring about a good marriage.

Other places to stop by include the "stone for safe childbirth," the "Futara Reisen," also known as rejuvenating water, and the "Treasure House," where national treasures and important cultural properties are on display.
*Please note that the Treasure House is located at the Chu-gu Shrine of Futaarasan Shrine near Lake Chuzenji.

Futaarasan Shrine, Nikko

• 2307 Sannai, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 10 min. by car from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station.
• Take a bus from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, get off at "Nishi Sando" and walk about 7 minutes.
• 8:15-16:45
• Entrance fee 300 yen (Entrance fee to the main shrine garden)
• 0288-54-0535
• Charged

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Takio Shrine

Try your luck at a mysterious shrine in the forest

Located about 1 km up the mountain from Nikko Futaarasan Shrine, Takio Shrine is a separate shrine of Nikko Futaarasan Shrine. Parking is available near the entrance, so you can drive there, but we recommend walking to the shrine through the trees in a sacred atmosphere.

Sacred spot in nature

Various power spots are scattered throughout the shrine, including the "Torii (gate for testing one's luck)," the "Bamboos for marriage," and the "Sanbon-sugi," a line of large trees that are considered sacred.

Torii gate to try your luck

After climbing the stone-paved stairs, visitors will come to the "Torii (gateway) for testing one's luck. At the top of this torii, there is a hole in the middle, and visitors can test their luck by throwing three pebbles through this round hole and see how many pebbles pass through.

Bamboos for matchmaking

Continue through the shrine grounds and go around to the back, where you will find the original "Enmusubi no Sasa" (match-making bamboo branch), which was divided into two at Futaarayama Shrine. It is said to bring good luck if visitors join their hands together in prayer for a good match.
Behind the main shrine building, there is a row of large trees known as the "Takio Sanbon-sugi," the most sacred of the three. To the left of the main shrine is the "Takio Inari Shrine" and a spring called "Sake no Izumi," which is said to produce good sake if the original water from this "Sake no Izumi" is used to make sake.

Stone for easy childbirth

Past the Sake-no-Spring and across the stream is a stone that is said to be a seed stone for safe childbirth. The stone is believed to bring good luck in the birth of a child, and is covered with many money offerings and pebbles.

Takio Shrine

• 2310-1 Sannai, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 10 minutes by car from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station to "Nikko Futarasan Shrine" Parking lot, 25 minutes on foot from the parking lot.
• From JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, take the train to "Kamihashi" and walk about 30 minutes.
• 0288-54-0535（Nikko Futaarasan Shrine)
• Free of charge

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Nikko Rinnoji Temple

The three main temples of the Tendai sect since the Nara period (710-794)

Nikko-san Rinnoji Temple is located about a 5-minute walk from Nikko Toshogu Shrine. The main hall, the Sanbutsudo Hall, is undergoing its first major repair in about 50 years (as of 2019). This repair is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

Places of interest in close proximity around the Sanbutsudo Hall

The Treasure Hall and Shoyoen are located in front of the Sanbutsudo Hall, making it an easy spot to visit even in a short time. Once inside the Sanbutsudo Hall, visitors can see the repairs in progress.

Treasure Hall

The temple preserves items of high historical and artistic value that are essential to the history of Mount Nikko. Many important cultural properties, including national treasures, are on display, so why not take the time to visit the museum?

Shoyoen (Shoyoen Garden)

Adjacent to the Hall of Treasures is the Shoyoen, a Japanese garden created in the early Edo period. The garden is famous for its beautiful autumn foliage, and you can walk along the pond while admiring the many varieties of trees and plants.

Rinnoji Temple on Mt. Nikko

• 2300 Yamauchi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 10 min. by car from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station.
• Take a bus from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, get off at "Jimbashi" and walk about 5 minutes.
• April-October 8:00-17:00, November-March 8:00-16:00 (last admission 30 minutes before)
• The Treasure Hall and Shoyoen are closed about 10 times a year for exhibition changes and Rinnoji temple events.
• Sanbutsudo ticket: Adults 400 yen, Junior high school and elementary school students 200 yen
  Taiyuin ticket: Adults 550 yen, Junior high school and elementary school students 250 yen
  Homonoden and Shoyoen tickets: Adults: 300 yen, Elementary/Junior high school students: 100 yen
  Set tickets are available.
• 0288-54-0531
• Charged

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Kegon Waterfall

Recharge your energy with the power of a powerful waterfall

Kegon-no-taki Falls is popular for its dynamic waterfalls that give visitors the power of the waterfalls while they are bathed in negative ions. It is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, and the powerful volume of water falling 97 meters down the precipitous cliff is a sight to behold. If you visit, be sure to take the elevator 100 meters down through the bedrock and pass through the underground passage to the viewing platform. It is said that by approaching the waterfall and looking up at it, the effect of the waterfall as a power spot can be further enhanced. The refreshing air in the area will cleanse your mind and body, and the roar of the magnificent waterfall and the view will give you a powerful feeling of power.

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Lake Chuzenji Uenojima (Kozukejima)

Worship from the lakeshore at the holy place where the founder of Mt. Nikko rests.

Kozukejima, a small circular island near the southern shore of Lake Chuzenji in Oku-Nikko. It is one of the most important sacred sites of Rinnoji Temple on Mt. Nikko, where the remains of Shodo Shonin, the founder of Nikko, are enshrined. Today, the public is not allowed to land on the island, but visitors can take a Chuzenji-ko sightseeing boat or the annual Funazenjo (*see below) to feel the legacy of the Shonin who laid the foundation of today's Nikko and to worship the island from the lake.

Sacred island where the grave site of Shodo Shonin is located

The small "Ueno Island," which can be circled in about two minutes on foot, is home to evergreen trees and maple trees, and in the fall, the area around the cemetery is decorated with beautiful natural colors of green, yellow, and red.
The "Funazenjo," held annually on August 4, is a precious event that has continued for more than 1,200 years, in which visitors make a pilgrimage by boat to the lakeshore sites associated with the Shonin. On this day, a memorial service boat sails and lands on "Ueno Island," allowing visitors to worship at leisure from the boat toward the gravesite.

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Uraminotaki Waterfall

Purify your body and mind at the pure waterfall that enshrines Fudo Myoo

Urami-no-Taki Falls, one of the three most famous waterfalls in Nikko, is a secluded spot that attracts somewhat fewer visitors than the other waterfalls. The spray from the waterfall falling from a height of about 45 meters makes the surrounding area cool and refreshing even in summer. Behind the waterfall, a statue of Fudo Myoo is enshrined, and visitors can be seen quietly worshipping from afar. It used to be possible to view the waterfall from the backside, but this is no longer possible.
Matsuo Basho, who visited Nikko a long time ago, wrote a poem about this waterfall in his book "Oku no Hosomichi" ("The Narrow Road to the Deep North"), which goes as follows: "For a while, I stay in the waterfall.

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Nantaisan (Mt. Nantai)

Worship the divine sacred mountain and enjoy the power of the earth

Nantai-san (Mt. Nantai) in Oku-Nikko has long been worshipped as a keystone of Nikko's mountain worship. The mountain itself is the very embodiment of the divine body of God, and when one gazes upon its sacred peak in the midst of beautiful nature, one is naturally compelled to join hands with it in a gesture of reverence and dignity. Nantai can be reached from the gate of the Futarasan Shrine located on the shore of Lake Chuzenji (during the climbing season from May 5 to October 25), and the peak can be reached from the Okumiya Shrine at the summit. There is also a Yohaigiyo (place of worship) at the first stage of the ascent, from which visitors can receive the power of the earth and be blessed by simply looking at the summit of the mountain.

The "Kinpindai serpent" is believed to be the guardian deity of victory and industry

In Nikko, there is a legend that once upon a time, the god of Mt. Nantai became a giant snake and the god of Akagi became a centipede and fought for territory in Senjogahara. After winning the battle, the serpent of Mt. Nantai came to be revered as the guardian god of victory and industry. The serpent's coiled form resembles a mountain, and people in the past feared it as a mountain god. Because of this origin, a golden statue of the Nantai-san serpent (nicknamed "Kinpin-serpent") is enshrined near the entrance to the Niarasan Shrine, and is said to bring good fortune in money and health.