When doing Tokyo, this mountain town is a perfect palate cleanser

Oct 14, 2025 – 5.01am

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After five days spent sweating it out among Tokyo’s commuter crowds in the summer heat, a cool diversion is called for. A two-day jaunt to the town of Nikko fits the bill beautifully.

About 125km north of Tokyo, it’s set against cedar-clad mountains on the doorstep of a World Heritage site that contains Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples dating back to the 8th century.

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