What other travelers are saying about Nikko Toshogu Shuki Taisai Grand Autumn Festival
An amazing place! One of the most colorful shrines we’ve seen complete with great detail. Multiple buildings.
While I think it’s important for children and school groups to visit and learn about their heritage, I believe it to be unfortunate to emphasize photos of the children in front of the structures rather than having them look at the buildings. Each school group seemed to have their own photographer following them around.
But the place is beautiful.
Toshogu Shrine is Nikko’s crown jewel, built to honor Tokugawa Ieyasu who unified Japan and founded the Edo period. The shrine complex is impressive with the famous cat shrine located higher up the mountain, but Ieyasu’s popularity means this place draws massive crowds. People start lining up 40+ minutes before opening time, which should tell you something about the crowds you’ll face.
If you visit during busy periods, forget about reaching the cat shrine or getting decent photos - the crowds make it nearly impossible to properly appreciate the site. I strongly recommend arriving very early or risk spending more time waiting in lines than actually seeing the shrine. The historical significance and craftsmanship are undeniable, but the tourist hordes can seriously diminish the experience if you don’t plan accordingly.
We really enjoyed visiting Nikko Toshogu Shrine. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place surrounded by trees. The buildings are colorful and full of amazing details. One of the coolest parts was seeing the famous “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkeys carved into the wood. Everything felt special and meaningful, and it was nice to walk around and take it all in.
If you're in Japan and love history or just want to see something unique and pretty, this place is worth the trip!
The entire site is very well maintained, and even though it can get crowded, the atmosphere remains peaceful and respectful.
Pro tip: wear comfy shoes, as there are quite a few stairs, and try to visit early in the morning to enjoy the quiet beauty before the tour groups arrive.
Marvellous architecture. The detail level of every ornament covering the the temple is astonishing. A must visit place.
An audio guide is provided at the entrance for additional fee of 500 yen.
It takes an hour, hour and a half to see everything.
