Futarasan shrine
Futarasan Shrine is located in Nikko, a little village tucked away in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture.
Not only is it a natural wonder, but it’s also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Yes, that’s right—Nikko is so special that even UNESCO couldn’t resist giving it its stamp of approval!
Futarasan is dedicated to the deities of Nikko’s three sacred mountains: Mount Nantai, Mount Nyoho, and Mount Taro. In fact, Mount Nantai is also known as Futarasan—so now you know where the name comes from!
Surrounded by forest, this place is absolutely stunning in autumn when the leaves turn fiery red and gold. You can even take a short drive to Lake Chuzenji from here—around 20 minutes—and enjoy some incredible mountain views.
Access
Getting to Nikko from Tokyo is really easy:
- With a JR Pass: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno Station to Utsunomiya Station (about 50 min). From there, switch to the JR Nikko Line to JR Nikko Station (around 40 min).
- Without a JR Pass: Take the Tobu Limited Express from Asakusa Station straight to Tobu Nikko Station (about 1h 50 min; ¥2,800).
If you’re on a tighter budget, there are also local Tobu trains (¥1,400), but they take over 2.5 hours and usually require a transfer.
Nikko’s city centre is pretty compact, so the best way to get around is on foot. Most of the main sights—like Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine, and Rinnoji Temple—are just a 10 to 15-minute walk from each other.
Price
Futarasan’s goshuin is 300 ¥.
Opening Hours
Entrance fee to Toshogu shrine is 200 yen.
It’s open from 8h to 17h.
