24 Mar 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed my day trip to Nikko!
Yoki Nakajima was my guide and he is 5++ star!! He contacted me in advance of my arrival to Japan, sent background information on all the sites we would visit and helped me through purchasing our Nikko passes and train tickets in advance. On the day of the excursion, we had a little extra time before boarding our trains, and he suggested a quick side trip to Sensoji Temple. Yoki shared a wealth of historical information as we visited each site. We skipped the ropeway ride because unfortunately it was a super foggy day. I had told Yoki that I was interested in purchasing a kimono as a souvenir. With our extra time from missing the ropeway ride, we returned to Tokyo earlier than scheduled and he took me to several shopping areas in Ginza and Shinjuku to search for some. Definitely above and beyond the call of duty!
The sites and entire area are beautiful. I regret that I did not have a couple of days to spend there to enjoy the hot springs and lake, do more hiking and explore all of the shops.