Tochigi（栃木）prefecture is in the Kanto（関東）region, famous for Nikko（日光）which is known for grand temples and shrines.
I went there during my Golden Week Kanto trip in 2014. Spent a day roaming around Central Nikko, which is some bus stops away from Tobu Nikko and JR Nikko stations. It was very crowded then, and time spent at every attraction was doubled, especially for the main attraction-- Toshogu Shrine（東照宮）.
Toshogu Shrine is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu（徳川家康）. His rule in Japan marked the beginning of the Edo period. The mausoleum is very grand, thanks to his grandson Iemitsu（徳川家光）. A lot of gold leaves and wood carvings were used, which is considered rare for shrines especially.
There are 3 famous wood carvings-- the "see/speak/hear no evil monkeys", the "imagined elephants"（想像の象）and the "sleeping cat"（眠り猫）.
There is also Honjido Hall, whereby clapping of 2 pieces of wood below the head of the large dragon painted on the ceiling will cause a loud ringing sound.
There are 3 famous wood carvings-- the "see/speak/hear no evil monkeys", the "imagined elephants"（想像の象）and the "sleeping cat"（眠り猫）.
There is also Honjido Hall, whereby clapping of 2 pieces of wood below the head of the large dragon painted on the ceiling will cause a loud ringing sound.
The tomb of Ieyasu lies in the forest, on the top of a flight of stairs. There are a few structures in the premise and some were undergoing renovation works till 2019.
Due to the crowd which resulted in more time being spent here than expected, we had to skip the nearby attractions such as Taiyuin-byo (Iemitsu's mausoleum), Rinnoji (temple) and Futarazan Shrine.
We took the bus to Tamozawa Imperial Villa（田母沢御用邸）a few stops down. It is the former summer residence of the Imperial Family. The architecture is an interesting blend of Edo and Meiji period (Japanese + Western).
It wasn't so crowded here, so we enjoyed our time appreciating the architecture and the ambience (large house surrounded by nature). The paintings of flowers on the sliding doors are so pretty!
We didn't visit the Okunikko（奥日光）area with lots of nature in this trip, but chose to visit Ashikaga（足利）Flower Park whose wisterias were in full bloom! It is the most famous wisteria park in the Kanto region. We went there after going to Hitachi Seaside Park（日立海浜公園）in Ibaraki（茨城）in the morning.
The park is bigger than I had expected, enjoyed going around the sea of purple, pink and white wisterias, though it was quite crowded.
Entrance fee of 1500 yen (after 200 yen discount from a flyer) was quite steep, but worth it I guess. And interestingly, the English brochure actually has more information than the Japanese one!
After visiting the flower park, we headed for Kinugawa Onsen（鬼怒川温泉）, a popular hot spring town in the prefecture with a few attractions. We stayed in Kinugawa Plaza Hotel. The room and amenities were good but food was average. Though I was delighted to see Lupicia tea provided in the room!
Other attractions in Kinugawa which I have yet to visit include Grand Maze, Tobu World Square with miniatures of world attractions, and Edo Wonderland, an Edo period theme park, similar to the one I have been to in Kyoto（京都）.
Due to the crowd which resulted in more time being spent here than expected, we had to skip the nearby attractions such as Taiyuin-byo (Iemitsu's mausoleum), Rinnoji (temple) and Futarazan Shrine.
We took the bus to Tamozawa Imperial Villa（田母沢御用邸）a few stops down. It is the former summer residence of the Imperial Family. The architecture is an interesting blend of Edo and Meiji period (Japanese + Western).
We didn't visit the Okunikko（奥日光）area with lots of nature in this trip, but chose to visit Ashikaga（足利）Flower Park whose wisterias were in full bloom! It is the most famous wisteria park in the Kanto region. We went there after going to Hitachi Seaside Park（日立海浜公園）in Ibaraki（茨城）in the morning.
The park is bigger than I had expected, enjoyed going around the sea of purple, pink and white wisterias, though it was quite crowded.
Entrance fee of 1500 yen (after 200 yen discount from a flyer) was quite steep, but worth it I guess. And interestingly, the English brochure actually has more information than the Japanese one!
After visiting the flower park, we headed for Kinugawa Onsen（鬼怒川温泉）, a popular hot spring town in the prefecture with a few attractions. We stayed in Kinugawa Plaza Hotel. The room and amenities were good but food was average. Though I was delighted to see Lupicia tea provided in the room!
Other attractions in Kinugawa which I have yet to visit include Grand Maze, Tobu World Square with miniatures of world attractions, and Edo Wonderland, an Edo period theme park, similar to the one I have been to in Kyoto（京都）.
Update in Spring 2025:
In Spring 2025, I did a road trip and visited Nasu Shiobara（那須塩原）for one night stay in Omaru Onsen Ryokan（大丸温泉旅館）known for its rustic outdoor bath（秘湯）. It has mixed-gender baths with clothings provided, and I enjoyed soaking in the hot spring with snow view (google image below).
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