Edo Wonderland (日光江戸村)

Edo Wonderland is another theme park in Kinugawa Onsen (鬼怒川温泉), Tochigi prefecture (栃木県), Japan. Just like Tobu World Square, this theme park is accessible by bus from Kinugawa Onsen station (鬼怒川温泉駅) of the Tobu line (東武線). One-way fare costs JPY400.

But because of our Kinugawa Theme Park Pass, our bus rides were free between the train station and the theme parks. The admission to the theme parks were also included, so we didn't have to pay for our tickets, which usually cost JPY4500.

The English name of the theme park may not be explicit, but the Japanese name - translated literally as Nikko Edo Village - is straight to the point. The park is set in Japan's Edo period, so the attractions and events are mainly focused on ninjas and geishas. We got to watch a ninja show and also the water show, but taking pictures were not allowed inside the presentation halls.

In between shows, we were able to see a parade that went around the park. I didn't exactly understand what they wanted to show in the parade, but it was interesting especially their traditional costumes. Also, the park was not lacking in souvenir shops, food stalls and  small amusement places like the shuriken throwing shop where kids lined up.

Edo Wonderland official website

Tobu World Square (東武ワールドスクエア)

Tobu World Square is a theme park located in Kinugawa Onsen (鬼怒川温泉), Tochigi prefecture (栃木県), close to Nikko (日光市). As its website describe it, the park contains 1:25 scale replicas of the UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage sites. It is accessible via bus from Kinugawa Onsen station (鬼怒川温泉駅) of the Tobu line (東武線). The one-way bus ride costs JPY200 each for adults and JPY100 for children, and the park's admission fee is normally JPY2,500, but since we got the Kinugawa Theme Park Pass, the bus ride was free and the theme park ticket was already included in the pass. We just had to claim the actual ticket from the ticket counter. Anyway, like other usual tourist destinations in Japan, there's a discount coupon available from the official website. The direct link is found at the bottom of this post.

The ticket came with a guide that showed the different areas of the park. I think the park can be covered in 2 hours, though when we went there, we only had a little over an hour but still got to see all the replicas. First on the guide is the Modern Japan zone, then the America zone, followed by the Egypt zone, then the Europe zone, second to the last is the Asia zone, and completing the list is the Japan zone. Following are some of the pictures that I took.

Modern Japan:

Japan's National Diet Building

Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Tower

America:

World Trade Center and the Empire State Building

 Egypt:

The Great Sphinx with the Pyramid of Khafre

 Europe:

Parthenon

St. Peter's Basilica

Neuschwanstein Castle

Buckingham Palace

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris

Arc de Triomphe

The Tower Bridge

 Asia:

Taj Mahal

Forbidden City

 Japan:

Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社)

Links:
Tobu World Square official website
Online coupon for ticket discount
Tobu Special Passes

Okunikko and Shinkyo Bridge (奥日光と神橋)

Nikko (日光市) in Tochigi prefecture (栃木県) is very accessible from metropolitan Tokyo. There are a lot of discount passes available like the All Nikko Pass, 2 Day Nikko Pass and the Kinugawa Theme Park Pass. We took the last one, the variant that includes admission to Nikko Edomura (or Nikko Wonderland) and Tobu World Square, and that cost us JPY7,200/pax. That pass is valid for 2 consecutive days, including the round trip train ride from Asakusa station (浅草駅) in Tokyo via the Tobu line (東武線), unlimited train rides between Tobu-Nikko station (東武日光駅) and Kinugawa Onsen (鬼怒川温泉), and unlimited bus rides to the 2 theme parks.

Since the Kinugawa Theme Park Pass is generally for the Kinugawa Onsen area, it does not cover the buses from Tobu Nikko station to other parts of Nikko, including Okunikko. Thus, we had to pay for each bus ride that we took in the Nikko area.

Tobu Nikko station

Autumn was just about to start when we went to Nikko, so even though some of the temples in Nikko are quite famous in Japan, we chose to go to some places which we thought we could see some kōyō (紅葉) or autumn leaves.

First stop was Lake Chuzenji (中禅寺湖) in Okunikko. One way bus fare from Tobu Nikko station to Chuzenji Onsen (中禅寺温泉) bus stop cost JPY1,100/pax. The lake is just a 5-minute walk from the bus stop heading west. At that time, it was very clear that autumn was just getting started, as almost everything was still green.

In the opposite direction from Chuzenji Onsen bus stop is Kegon Falls (華厳の滝), our second stop. Beside the bus stop is the Nikko Natural Science Museum, but we weren't interested and instead, we headed straight to Kegon Falls. The falls can be seen from an observatory, but for JPY530, one can ride the elevator down to the lower observation deck that offers a different view of the falls.

Our last stop in Okunikko was Ryuzu Falls (竜頭の滝), which is also known as "dragon head waterfall". This required a bus ride from Kegon Falls, and the bus fare from Chuzenji Onsen to Ryuzu Falls was JPY410/pax. At that time, the autumn leaves were peaking around the area of Ryuzu Falls, so at least we were able to see some autumn colors.

Ryuzu Falls is farther from Tobu Nikko station, so the bus ride back cost JPY1,350. And just near the station is Nikko's iconic bridge - Shinkyo Bridge (神橋). The same bus towards Okunikko can be taken, and the cost of the bus ride from Tobu Nikko station to Shinkyo Bridge is just JPY190. Although it's a simple place, I think it should be included in any Nikko itinerary because it's the place that can be easily identified with Nikko. In my opinion, it's like the Glico man of Osaka, where you can't say you've been to Osaka if you didn't have your picture taken with the Glico man.