and train access in the Nikko and Kinugawa area and includes some discounts for nearby attractions, but does not include entry to the shrines. Valid for 4 days, cost �4400. Recommended for visitors coming to see Nikko's lakes and falls.
2. World Heritage Pass covers a round-trip to Nikko and Kinugawa and includes admission to the shrines. Valid for 2 days, cost �3600. Some discounts for Kinugawa Theme Park are also included. It does not cover the bus fare to Lake Chuzenji (950 yen each way as of March 2012, Pasmo cards also accepted)
3. Kinugawa Themepark Pass covers round-trip fare, bus pass and admission to Tobu World Square. Basic two-day pass �4000, up to �7200 if you add in Edo Wonderland and Nikko Edo Village as well.
All three passes allows unlimited train rides (regular trains only) from Shimo-Imaichi to Tobu-Nikko and Kinugawa Hot Spring Stations. These passes are only valid for trains departing from Asakusa - they cannot be used for trains leaving Shinjuku or Ikebukuro. For those, see the joint JR/Tobu route below.
These passes can be booked online. For �1000 extra, you can get reserved seats and travel on the limited express services.
You can get these passes at Tobu Sightseeing Service Center, right next to the north exit of Tobu Railway's Asakusa Station. Staff who can speak English are available.
By JR
Travel by JR costs more and takes longer, and isn't really worth considering unless you have a Japan Rail Pass, in which case you can take the Tohoku Shinkansen (Yamabiko, Max Yamabiko, Tsubasa or Nasuno) from Tokyo Station or Ueno to Utsunomiya (50 minutes or 44 minutes, respectively), then connect to the JR Nikko line (43 minutes from Utsunomiya to Nikko). From Tokyo Station, the whole trip will take from about 1 hour 40 minutes to around 2 hours, depending mostly on the connection in Utsunomiya.
By JR and Tobu
In March of 2006,
