1
Roadside Station Nikko Nikko Kaido Nico Nico Honjin

This roadside station is located in the bustling city center, about 3 minutes from the Imaichi I.C. on the Nikko Utsunomiya Road. Located at a strategic traffic point where the "Nikko Kaido" and "Nikko-Nikko-Keishi-Kaido" converge, it is also a gateway spot for sightseeing in Nikko. On the premises, there are stores selling products of Nikko City and Tochigi Prefecture, as well as restaurants and an entertainment Property themed on popular songs.
Refresh yourself after a tiring drive to this point with sweets from "Castle," located in the Commercial Property. Gelato using locally produced "Tochiotome" and "Skyberry" is popular for its refreshing sweetness and smooth melt-in-your-mouth texture. Cute-looking bar-type waffles are also available, and these are recommended as in-train snacks or souvenirs.

The Property also has a wide variety of handmade prepared foods and boxed lunches. It is also a good idea to buy a boxed lunch here and enjoy lunch at the nearby "Nikko Cedar Namiki" or at one of the other scenic spots you will visit.
The photo shows a reasonably priced version of the "Nikko buried gold bento," which is famous for its high price. In a container modeled after the shogun's inro, the bento contains seven items, including special chirashizushi, Nikko Kogen beef stew, fried yuba and cooked vegetables. The spoon, which resembles a coal shovel, is full of attention to detail, with an engraving of the SL "Taiki" running between Shimo-Imaichi and Kinugawa hot spring on the Tobu Kinugawa Line.

Speaking of roadside stations, shopping for farm products and other goods is another enjoyable experience. Visitors can fully enjoy shopping for fresh vegetables and fruits from Nikko City, where agriculture is thriving, as well as from inside and outside of the prefecture, and for yuba and pickles, local specialties.

On the left side of the premises stands the "Japanese Heart Song Museum and Funamura Toru Memorial Museum. Visitors can enjoy watching and listening to the works of Toru Funamura, a composer who was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit and is associated with Imaichi, using 3D and other visuals. The museum also offers an Experience program (for a fee) that allows visitors to choose from 20 of Funamura's works and record their own karaoke singing on a DVD to take home, making it a great stopover spot for three-generation visitors.

Roadside Station Nikko Nikko Kaido Nico Nico Honjin

• 719-1 Imaichi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• Approximately 3 minutes from Imaichi I.C. on the Nikko Utsunomiya Road
• Commercial Property: 9:00-18:00
  Japanese Restaurant, Soba Restaurant: 11:00-18:00 (L.0.17:30)
  Japanese Heart Songs Museum, Funamura Toru Memorial Museum: 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
• Commercial Properties and Restaurants: 3rd Tuesday of each month (open if the Tuesday is a national holiday, closed the following day)
  Funamura Toru Memorial Museum: Tuesdays (open if Tuesday falls on a national holiday, closed the following day), year-end and New Year holidays
• Japanese Heart Song Museum & Funamura Toru Memorial Museum Adults 550 yen, elementary, junior high, and high school students 320 yen
• 0288-25-7771
• Free of charge

2
Akechidaira Observatory

From "Roadside Station Nikko, Nikko Kaido Nico Nico Honjin," take Route 119 west to Route 120. The section from Umagae to Chuzenji Lake on the way up is a famous place called "Daini-Iroha-zaka," which is an uphill-only slope. Counting with your child the 20 curves up to "I", "RO", "HA"...and "NE" on the way up, the Akechidaira is a superb view point near the end of the slope past "NE". If it is not a busy season such as autumn foliage season, the journey will take about 50 minutes.
Akechidaira has a free parking space and a bus stop, and is always crowded with people enjoying the view. From here, you can also see the "First Iroha Slope," which is a descent-only slope, and Hannya Falls in the distance.

After parking your car, take the ropeway to the ropeway stop, where you will arrive at the Akechidaira Observatory at an elevation of 1,373 meters, which is said to be the best view spot in Nikko, in about 3 minutes. A panoramic view of the towering cliffs of Byoubu Iwa, Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji, and Mt. Visitors can enjoy the wonderful scenery from the season when the trees are green and cool, to the autumn leaves that are as beautiful as brocade pictures, and the snowy landscape that envelops you in tranquility.

3
Kiribana (Kiribana)

About 10 minutes from Akechidaira, turn right at the "Futaarabashimae" T-junction and you will soon see the famous handmade soba restaurant "Kirika" on your left. It is easily accessible from "Kegon Falls" and "Lake Chuzenji," and is recommended for those who want to have a special lunch while touring the sightseeing spots in Oku-Nikko.
The homemade handmade buckwheat noodles, which have been served for about 100 years by three generations of parents and children, are made from Utsunomiya's local buckwheat flour and are called nihachi soba (28 buckwheat noodles). It is characterized by its cool flavor and fine texture. The aromatic dipping sauce is slightly sweet. The soup stock is a mix of three types of dried bonito flakes, Soda flakes, and mackerel flakes, to which is added the Kaesashi, a seasoning made from Hongatsuo (dried bonito flakes), which has been handed down directly from the previous generation.

The soup is made with a lot of time and effort, and the family with children will be happy to know that Kirihana serves not only soba but also udon noodles. The photo shows the "Kenchin Udon," a pot full of seasonal root vegetables, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in the gentle flavor of dashi broth. Plates and spoons for children are available so that they can share the dish.
Udon noodles are made with flour imported from Sanuki. Both soba and udon are thinly sliced for comfort and ease of eating in summer, and thickly sliced for easier mixing with the warm broth in winter.
The restaurant also serves "yuba donburi" (yuba bowl topped with a generous amount of pulled yuba), "tororo meshi" (rice topped with grated yam), and "oyako donburi" (a bowl of rice topped with chicken and eggs).

The restaurant has a small tatami room, which is also a nice feature for families with young children. As a long-established and famous restaurant where you can enjoy homemade handmade soba, it is always busy, especially during the tourist season. The restaurant closes when all the soba is sold out.

Kiribana

• 2480 Chugu Shrine, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• Approximately 30 minutes from Nikko I.C. on the Nikko-Utsunomiya Road, in front of the Kegon-no-taki Waterfall Entrance bus stop.
• From JR Nikko Station or Tobu Nikko Station, take the Tobu Bus bound for Chuzenji Onsen or Yumoto Onsen (about 50 minutes), and get off at Chuzenji Onsen Station (about 3 minutes walk).
• 11:00 - 15:00 (close when soba noodles are gone; please inquire from January to March as the restaurant is often closed)
• Closed on weekends and holidays
• 0288-55-0177
• Parking is available at the prefectural parking lot.

4
Kegon Waterfall

Across the street from Kirika is a path leading to Kegon-no-taki Falls. Follow the path and you can already hear the explosion of the waterfall before you reach the Kegon Falls elevator.
Kegon Falls is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, with water from Lake Chuzenji cascading down from the 97-meter-high cliff. Apart from the main stream that falls with a roaring sound, there are also several streams of spring water flowing down from the rocks in the middle section, which are called the Twelve Falls.
If you want to take a commemorative photo of your family, be sure to go to the waterfall viewing platform. The elevator takes you 100 meters down through the bedrock, and the cool underground passageway adds to the excitement. At the viewing platform, you can look up at the waterfall from the front and take a powerful shot. A close-up view of the 4.5-meter-deep waterfall basin is also a fun and memorable experience.

5
Hishiya Kegon-no-taki sales office

The Hishiya Kegon-no-Taki Sales Office is located near the entrance and exit of the Kegon-no-Taki elevator. Among the various snack-like items on sale, the "Yuba Katsu" and "Yuba Croquette" are particularly eye-catching. Yuba Katsu" is made of unseasoned yuba, coated with batter, and deep-fried. Yuba cutlets are deep-fried to order (takes about 5 minutes), so they are always freshly fried. You can enjoy the aroma and texture of yuba wrapped in a crispy batter and eat it as it is, of course, or add salt or soy sauce to enhance the flavor if you like.

Yuba Croquette" is made by folding several layers of yuba and placing them in the middle of the croquette. The fluffy texture of the potato matches the chewiness of the yuba. The potatoes are kneaded with soy milk, which gives them a rich flavor, so we recommend tasting them as they are without any toppings.

The photo shows the "Lemon Milk Soft Ice Cream" mixed with lemon milk, which is well-known as a local flavor in Tochigi Prefecture. The lemon-flavored vanilla flavor is refreshing and popular among women and children.

Hishiya Kegon-no-taki Waterfall Office

• 2479-2 Chugu Shrine, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• Approximately 20 minutes from the Kiyotaki I.C. on the Nikko Utsunomiya Road.
• From JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, take a bus bound for Chuzenji Hot Spring, get off at Chuzenji Hot Spring Station (about 45 minutes), and walk about 4 minutes.
• 8:30-17:00
• No holidays
• 0288-55-0166
• Parking is available at the prefectural parking lot.

6
Lake Chuzenji Pleasure Cruise

Located on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, about a 10-minute walk from Kegon-no-taki Waterfall, Funen-no-Eki Chuzenji is the departure and arrival point for the Lake Chuzenji Pleasure Cruise, which offers a panoramic view of the rich natural beauty of Lake Chuzenji from a boat. The lake is approximately 25 km in circumference, but there are only a limited number of sections that can be approached by car or bus, and the unspoiled nature in the western and southern parts of the lake, which can only be explored on foot, can be easily enjoyed from a sightseeing boat.

In addition to the regular 55-minute D course round-the-lake cruise that passes through two piers and takes in the sights of the lake, there is also a special service that operates when the pink and purple clover flowers bloom on Chitegahama Beach in the western part of the lake (mid-June to early July) and during the fall foliage season.

Drinks are sold on board, and Western-style toilets are available (multipurpose toilets are available at "Funen-no-Eki Chuzenji"). Baby strollers can be brought on board.

7
Coffee House Yukon

Coffee House Yukon is located on the grounds of Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel. Surrounded by trees, the restaurant is an impressive log house-style building.
The signature dish is the "Hyakunen Rice Curry," a recreation based on a recipe from the early Taisho period that was accidentally discovered in the storehouse of the Kanaya Hotel. This elegant, medium-dry curry with just the right amount of sourness and sweetness quickly spread by word of mouth, attracting a steady stream of visitors in search of curry. The "Beef Curry," in particular, boasts a dish that is popular among men and women of all ages, as the lavish beef used is so tender that it melts in the mouth, and the spicy aroma can be enjoyed amidst the sweetness.

Log house like a villa

The restaurant's interior, with its impressive log cabin walls and wood-grain interior, is a warm and inviting space. You will feel as if you are visiting a summer home, and the coziness of the restaurant will make you linger in the restaurant for a long time.
It is also an excellent location for a stopover during a drive through Oku-Nikko, where you can enjoy the fresh greenery in summer and the autumn leaves in fall.

Coffee House Yukon

• 2482 Chugu Shrine, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture (on the premises of Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel) MAP
• From Nikko Station, take the Tobu Bus bound for Yumoto Hot Spring (approx. 1 hour). 3 min. walk from Chuzenji-Kanaya Hotel-mae Bus Stop.
• 11:30-15:30 (L.O. 15:00)
• No holidays
• 0288-55-0147
• Free of charge