Nikko, in 1 (full) day and Utsunomiya

Ciao, we plan to book an hotel in Utsunomiya.
We should be there at the beginning of the afternoon, spending the rest of the day visiting this town. The following day we move early in the morning (expected arrival 9 am) to Nikko and we stay there the full day going back to Utsunomiya late afternnon. In your opinion, this can be a good solution in terms of "time investment"? In Nikko, have you a organized / structured itineray to suggest us in order to "maximize" time and transports? GRAZIE, sorry for my very limited english ...

Hey man, I'm just curious about why you chose to stay at Utsunomiya. I have had the chance to spend a day there once when I was planning to go to Nikko but overslept. Finally I chose to keep Nikko for another time and got off at Utsunomiya. I can tell you from experience: There isn't really that much to do in the town itself.

I don't know about the surroundings but the centre itself has little to offer for tourists. It is dominated by a huge shopping mall right next to the station. That was interesting to walk around for a bit, and the town is famous for some kind of pork dish. Other than that my highlight of the day was when I ran into a group of highschoolers smoking under a bridge who looked at me like I was the first caucasian to set foot on Japan.

Nikko on the other hand has a lot to offer. You can fit it all into a single day but it'd be better if you could spend a night there. In the vicinity of Nikko you have some hot spring towns like Kinugawa where you can spend a relaxing time.

We arrive at Utsu. after 4 hours by train. This is why I prefer to stay there an afternoon. After having spent a full day in Nikko, if we go back to Utsu. for the evening the following morning we can catch an early train to Hokkaido! Grazie, again ciao.

When you get to Nikko station, go to the info office and get a map of the temple area. Then go by bus to the bridge, and walk from there: everything is fairly close by, so it is relatively straight forward. Then walk back to the bridge for the bus to the station.
Enjoy!

Hi,as former poster said, Utsunomiya is not exciting place to stay.however it is ok with your needs.
here is a sample time table to view at Nikko for your reference.
http://www.tokyo-travelassist.com/nikko-tohsyogu-one-day-trip-guide-by...

I don't know about your budget, but if you are travelling with company perhaps you might want to use taxi's from one sightseeing spot to the next in Nikko. If your schedule is tight, you might find distances to be big. Ofcourse there is also a bus network but a taxi saves you the waiting time.

GRAZIE to All of you! I confirm that we previous pla, hotel in Utsu. (in front of the station..), early morning train to Nikko and return back late aternoon. The day before some hours available to dicover any "beauty" in Utsu. In Nkko, bus or txi .. depending on time & money ... Ciao,