4 Best Hotels in Nikko, Side Trips from Tokyo

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lake or the grounds, and pastel colors decorate the simple rooms at this outpost of the Nikko Kanaya on the road from Chuzenji Onsen to Shobu-ga-hama. The open-air hot-spring baths offer relaxation with views of nature.

This classic hotel is a little worn around the edges after a century of operation, but it still has the best location in town—across the street from Toshogu—and the main building is a delightful, rambling Victorian structure that has hosted royalty and other important personages from around the world. Rooms vary a great deal, as do their prices: the more expensive rooms are spacious and comfortable, with wonderful high ceilings; in the annex the sound of the Daiya-gawa murmuring below the Sacred Bridge lulls you to sleep.

At this hotel, modest, cost-conscious Western- and Japanese-style accommodations come with or without a private bath. Simple, cheap breakfasts and dinners are served in the dining room, but you needn't opt for these if you'd rather eat out. To get here, take the bus bound for Chuzenji from either railway station and get off at the Sogo Kaikan-mae bus stop. The inn is two minutes from the bus stop and within walking distance of Toshogu.