May 19, 2013 - 1 min read

Great Trails in Tochigi Prefecture

A magnificent place to hike - and not far from Tokyo

By Larry Knipfing

Community writer

A very beautiful bridge and waterfall greets you at the start of the course

This sign map, near Ryuokyo Station, explains the various courses and highlights along the way

The mountains seem to go on forever

This course has everything: a beautiful river, mountains, waterfalls and colorful flowers

Many hikers stop in at this shrine to pray before beginning their hike

The river changes color around each bend

This is azalea, the official flower of Tochigi Prefecture

A bear warning sign along the way -- yikes!

There were a lot of pretty and delicate flowers lining the paths

And some big beautiful pine trees as well

And another sign (that must be decades old) reminding us not to litter

On the river, near the start/end of the hike

If you'd like to get out and enjoy the beauty of the Japanese countryside, then this hiking course in Tochigi is perfect if you're anywhere near Tokyo, or especially Nikko. The course, called the Kinugawa Ryuokyo Hiking Course, starts from Ryuokyo Station on the Noiwa Tesudo Line and is composed of paths winding their way through the forest above the twisting Kinugawa river. You can keep going until you reach the next station (4.5 hours), or double back and return to the starting point (2.5 hours) enjoying the view from the other side this time.

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Larry Knipfing

By Larry Knipfing

Community writer

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Michael Flemming

Michael Flemming 12 years ago

Beautiful flowers and views.

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