Tobu Nikko Station is the main entry point into Nikko, but it is not a big station, so it is really easy to find your way around. This article will explain the general layout of the station, so that you can quickly access the station’s information and ticketing services, easily find your platform, and also enjoy the station’s general facilities.
Tobu Nikko Station
Table of Contents
General Orientation
Tobu Nikko Station has one entrance and directly opposite the entrance is the station’s ticket gates.
The ticket gates at the Tobu Nikko Station
As you enter the station from the entrance you will find most of the station’s main services on your right. These include ticket machines, a ticket office, baggage storage, and information services. On the left of the station entrance are more general facilities such as a waiting room, toilets, shops, a café, and coin lockers. The station also has a 2nd floor where you can find more lockers and two Muslim prayer rooms.
A view of the station interior
Buses for all the major tourist sites run from five bus stops outside the station and there is a taxi stand outside the station too. For more details on these services please see our articles Taking a Bus in Nikko and Taxis in Nikko & Kinugawa Onsen. For information on car rental services near Tobu Nikko Station please see our article Car Rental in Nikko.
Station Facilities
If you are standing facing the ticket gates then you can find the automatic ticket machines on your right. The ticket machines have English language guidance, accept a variety of coins and bills, and are very easy to use. A fare chart above the machines shows the fares for all possible destinations.
Ticket machines in Tobu Nikko Station
A closer view of a ticket machine
Also on the right side of the station is a room called the Tourist Center that opens out from the main concourse. In this room you will find a ticket/information counter for limited express tickets; an information counter where you can buy local bus passes and make arrangements for tours or accommodation; a bus ticket vending machine; a baggage delivery/storage service desk, and a tourist information counter.
The limited express ticket counter
The information counter for bus passes, tours, and accommodation
The bus ticket vending machine and the Yamato Transport baggage delivery and storage counter
The Tourist Information counter is located beside Yamato Transport’s counter
Long lines will develop for each of these services during the busy tourist seasons so this area can get quite crowded. For more details of Yamato Transport’s baggage storage and delivery services see our article Lockers and Baggage Storage at the Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen Stations.
The multilingual touchscreen near the station entrance
Also on the right side of the station and close by the entrance is a multilingual touchscreen which you can use to find out more about Nikko’s many sightseeing attractions
Platforms & Trains
Beyond the ticket gates are the platforms. Tobu Nikko Station has just five platforms numbered 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. There is no platform 3. Platforms 1 and 2 are located directly in front of the ticket gates, while platforms 4, 5, and 6 are located to the left.
Platforms 1 and 2 at Tobu Nikko Station
Generally speaking, local services and rapid trains tend to stop at platforms 1 and 2, while long-distance limited express trains running to Asakusa in Tokyo tend to stop at platforms 4, 5, and 6. However, you should check the station’s displays to find the exact platform for your train.
A view of platforms 4, 5, and 6 at Tobu Nikko Station
There is a large sign showing departure information just inside the ticket gates which will show you which platform to go to, and there are also display signs on each platform showing upcoming departures.
The departures sign just inside the ticket gates
Local & Rapid Services
Local and rapid services from Tobu Nikko Station run along the Tobu Nikko Line to destinations such as Shimo-Imaichi, Shin-Tochigi, and Tobu Dobutsu Koen. These services often stop at platforms 1 and 2. Travelers who wish to visit the resort town of Kinugawa Onsen should take a local train south to Shimo-Imaichi and then transfer to a northbound train for Kinugawa Onsen Station.
A local train bound for Minami-Kurihashi at Platform 1 Tobu Nikko Station
The Aizu Mount Express is another rapid service that runs between Tobu Nikko Station and Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Fukushima. This also often runs from platforms 1 and 2.
A rapid train bound for Aizu-Wakamatsu at Platform 2 Tobu Nikko Station
Limited Express Services
Three Tobu limited express services run from Tobu Nikko Station. These trains usually stop at platforms 4, 5 and 6. Tobu limited express trains run as far as Tobu Dobutsu Koen on the Tobu Nikko Line and then join the Tobu Skytree Line making stops at Tokyo Skytree and Tobu Asakusa Station in Tokyo. These three services are called the Revaty Kegon, the Spacia Kegon, and the Kirifuri.
A limited express service at Platform 6 Tobu Nikko Station
There is also a JR limited express service called the Limited Express Nikko which runs between Shinjuku and Nikko, stopping on the way at Ikebukuo and Omiya.
General Facilities
When you enter from the station entrance you will find a number of general facilities on the left side of the station. These include a waiting room which has plenty of seating and a display showing all the upcoming departures.
Inside the waiting room
The display showing departures
Around the sides of the waiting room are a kiosk selling snacks and drinks; a small café serving light meals, drinks, and ice creams; a souvenir shop; an ATM; and the entrance to the toilets.
The station kiosk
The cafe
The souvenir shop
The ATM is a 7-Bank ATM which has English language guidance and accepts most major international bank cards.
The 7-Bank ATM at Tobu Nikko Station
Muslim prayer rooms can be found on the 2nd floor of the station and it is open 7 days a week from 9.00 to 16.30. There are two rooms which are separated by gender, and these are each equipped with a Wudu space with hot running water, and a qibla mark showing the direction of prayer. Information on how to use the prayer room is available in English, Indonesian, Malay, and Arabic.
The station’s prayer room
Coin lockers can be found immediately to the left of the ticket gates and also on the 2nd floor. For more information on how to use these lockers please see our article Lockers and Baggage Storage at the Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen Stations.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
