Nikko - 1 day enough?

Hi, anyone know if a day trip to Nikko is worth doing from Tokyo? Not sure if it`s enough time to see the main things. Thanks in advance

We've been on a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo, starting from Shinjuku/Ikebukuro a bit past 7 in the morning, arriving in Nikko around 9, took the bus up to one end of the Chuzenji Lake (the end closest to Nikko town) and done a short walk by the Lake Chunzenji, and had a good look at Kegon Falls, then taking the bus down to visit Toshogu Shrine and a few other shrines around it, as well as the bridge, at a no-rush, good comfortable pace. If you want to go up as far as Yudaki falls (in the upper reaches), hike the Senjogahara plateau, or go to other attractions such as Edo Wonderland, a day would not be enough (then it is recommended to stay over at a hot spring inn), but for the main attractions in town and the Kegon Falls, a day is well doable and well worth it :)

Yup, Nikko can be done in one day. For me, I took the tobu skyliner train from Asakusa at 7:30am and reach there at 9:15am. After that, I walked from the train station to Toshogu Shrine. After the shrine visit which ended around noon time, took a cab (6000 yen) up Kegon Falls. After Kegon, had lunch at a restaurant and walked to Lake Chuzenji. Whole trip ended at around 4pm before taking train back to Asakusa.

You can view more details of my Nikko trip at http://3dudesintokyo.com

We used the bus instead - we travelled up to the lake first thing in the morning as we arrived, because the way down "can" get quite crowded depending on the day. Once we were "down" in town area, with all the temples, we knew we could walk to the station easily so we would not have to worry about the train time. We bought the Tobu Chuzenji Onsen bus pass (2,000 yen). Even for one day, this pass covers all the bus rides from the station up to the Lake, free to get on/off anywhere within that stretch, and it pays off. I believe one-way bus ride from Tobu Nikko station to Lake Chuzenji cost 1,000 yen if you buy a single ticket.

How is the parking for private vehicles at Nikko? Can parking spots be found?

There quite a lot of parking everywhere, although it might be tight on a very crowded weekend.

Personally, I think two days is better at Nikko. There are many lovely walks which you just cannot do in one day.

It depends on your preferred pace of travel and on how much you want to see.

If you just see the shrines and temples in the town, then a day trip is enough.

If you also want to see the Okunikko region on the same day, you must travel at a fast pace and concentrate only on one or two highlights in each region.

But if you like a medium to slow travel pace and wish to see more than just Toshogu and Kegon Falls, I strongly recommend to allocate two days.

is there a pass i can buy that includes the train/bus travel from Shinjuku?

I know of the Tobu Nikko Free Pass but that`s for trains from Asakusa.

Afraid not.

Does anyone know if Nikko city provides english speaking guides free of charge similar to Himeji city?

I don't know about guides, but there is an Information Center about 20min walk from the train station. They have english speakers there and they were always happy to help us out. There's a couple net PCs there as well.

In my experience, one day would not be enough for Nikko. We spent about two and a half days there, and I wish we had another day. It's really beautiful and you can just chill out there.

If you stay overnight, book the Turtle-Inn Hotari-an Annex (not the original Turtle Inn in Nikko, the Annex one). It's a great place to stay and one of the cheapest in Nikko.

I have been twice, actually yesterday i went! I went as far as yudaki falls, nikko is very beautiful so it is best done in a few days. How ever, a day trip is very rewarding none the less, after taking the bus to chuzenji onsen area, kegon falls is a 5 minute walk as is chuzenjii lake, both are beautiful. You can take another bus up to ryuzu falls, and then another all the way up to yudaki falls. For terms of hiking and maybe the national park, plan a day extra or two.