One of the main reasons why we opted for two nights in Nikko was to visit Nikko Edomura, or Nikko Edo Wonderland — a theme park and living museum that showcases life and culture during the Edo period. The park, though not massive in the area it occupies, is very dense with things to do, including cultural performances, activities for both adults and kids, and food options that reflect the period.
There is a free bus service that starts from JR Nikko Station (not Tobu-Nikko Station), and we caught the first bus at 9:15AM, arriving at the park itself at 9:45AM. For the return journey, we took the 2:15PM bus back to JR Nikko Station. We were uncertain whether there would be crowds queuing for this bus, both for the outbound and return journeys, so we gave ourselves a buffer by arriving 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure times. As it turns out, that precaution was quite unnecessary: besides the four of us, there were only two other passengers — a couple — on both the outbound and return journeys. And yep, the same couple returned with us at the same timing!
If you’re planning a visit:
The park was pretty empty when we arrived at 9:45AM, and remained so until about 10:30AM, after which busloads of visitors started arriving. By the time we left at 2PM, there were many more visitors.
We can’t speak for whether the last free bus at 4:15PM that departs the park would be crowded or not. But our hunch is that it likely won’t be on weekdays. So if you’d like to stick around longer and catch the Oiran Procession at 2:20PM, go for it.
Two performances — Mizugei-za (Water Magic Show) and Wakamatsu-ya (Oiran Courtesan Show) — require the removal of footwear, and you’re given plastic bags to bring your footwear into the theater. If you’re the kind who hates taking off and putting on footwear, then wear something that’s easy to remove and put back on.
The Ninja Maze is a crazy lot of fun if you’re visiting as a group or family, as we were. We were constantly debating which path to take, and it’s amazing how densely the designers managed to construct the maze in a fairly small area. There are “Surrender Exits” located at a few places, and there is no shame in giving up — especially if you’re lost and rushing for time!
The costumed staff are all very friendly, and are happy to take pictures with you, or even for you.
We lunched at the Yabu Soba restaurant and had, apparently, the same kind of soba noodles that people of the Edo period loved. There are a few other sit-down restaurants in the park, and besides those there are a small number of traditional snack stalls, and the ubiquitous ice-cream stand. If you have kids who will only eat french fries and grilled chicken, then feeding them lunch might be a challenge!
There are numerous other activities, including courses that are catered for both kids and adults. We didn’t participate in them this trip as queues formed quickly. But if you’re staying in the park for a longer period, these might be worth checking out too.
Continued in the next post!