ACCESS to/from NIKKO

VISA

Depending on your nationality, you may be required to obtain a VISA to enter Japan. Please check by yourself at the MOFA site (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) if this applies to you or not. If a VISA is required, please make contact with the nearest Japanese Embassy/Consulate General as soon as possible.

Access and Travel Suggestions

Nikko is located about 150 km north of Tokyo, and connected with Tokyo area by Japan Railways (JR) or "Tobu" line.

Check timetables from here

From Narita international airport, it takes about 3.5 hours in total. The conference starts from the afternoon on March 12 (Monday). We recommend that you arrive at Japan on March 11 (Sunday). If you can get on the 13:59 Keisei Skyliner (see below) at the Narita airport, you may reach to Nikko at 17:49 after three-times train-changes. If your flight arrives at the airport in the late afternoon, we recommend that you stay one night in Tokyo area (Ueno or Asakusa) and moves to Nikko in the morning of the next day.
As for return trip, if you leave Nikko by the 6:55 train on March 17, you can arrive at Narita airport around 10:30. So you should choose a return flight in the afternoon.
Information on hotels in Tokyo area are listed below.

(click to enlarge the image)

How to Reach Nikko

(1) With Tobu Line

From Narita airport, you can get to Nikko by using "Keisei" line, Tokyo Metro, and Tobu line.
In total, this way costs 3,980 JPY (or 5,180 JPY, if you use Keisei Skyliner) for one way.

Narita Airport (Keisei) -- Keisei Ueno (Keisei) (~ 1 hr 20 min. or 40 min with Skyliner)
Keisei SKY-ACCESS line (available every ~20 min). 1,200 JPY.
If you use Skyliner (limited express, taking ~45min, timetable), you need an express ticket (1,200 JPY in addition to the normal ticket).
Ueno (Metro G16) -- Asakusa (Metro G19) (5 min)
Tokyo Metro "Ginza line" * (available every ~5 min). 160 JPY.
Asakusa (Tobu) -- Tobu Nikko (Tobu) (~2 hr)
Tobu express line ** (available every ~1 hr, timetable). 2,620 JPY (1,320 JPY + 1,300 JPY express fee).
There are two kinds of the express services, "Kinu" and "Kegon".
"Kegon" goes to Nikko directly, but only 2-3 services are available per day.
Most likely, you will use "Kinu", and need to change trains at "Shimo-Imaichi" station (~1 h 40 min after Asakusa).
From Shimo-Imaichi station, it takes only 10 min to get to Nikko station.

* Tokyo Metro Ueno station is about 200m away from Keisei Ueno station (please follow the instruction there).
** Asakusa station (Tobu line) is located at a department store "Matsuya", which is about 300m away from Tokyo Metro Asakusa station (please follow the instruction there).

(2) With JR Line

If you do not stay in Tokyo area, you can also get to Nikko by using only JR (timetable).
This way costs 8,460 JPY for one way (3,890 JPY for the normal ticket and 1,660 + 2,910 JPY for the express tickets).
You can buy the normal tickets (to Nikko) at Narita airport. Please buy the express ticket for Shinkan-sen at Tokyo station.

Narita Airport (JR) -- Tokyo (JR) (~1 hr)
Please use "Narita express" (available every 30 min, Timetable: From Narita, To Narita).
You need an express ticket (1,660 JPY, in addition to the normal ticket).
Tokyo (JR) -- Utsunomiya (JR) (~50 min)
Please use "Shinkan-sen Yamabiko" * (bullet train, available every 15-20 min, Timetable: From Tokyo, To Tokyo).
You need an express ticket (2,910 JPY, in addition to the normal ticket. Please buy this at Tokyo station).
Utsunomiya (JR) -- Nikko station (JR) (~40 min)
Local train "Nikko line" (available every 1 hr).

* There is another kind of Shinkan-sen, called "Hayate". But do NOT use Hayate, since it does not stop at Utsunomiya station.
*Note* Shinkan-sen stops at "Ueno" station after Tokyo. You may also go to Ueno from Narita airport using Keisei line (see above).

(3) For Participants Who Use Haneda Airport

If you do not use Narita airport but use Haneda airport, you can go to Tokyo station or Ueno station by Monorail and JR.
After that, please follow the ways above (use Metro+Tobu from Ueno or JR Shinkan-sen from Tokyo).

Haneda airport (Monorail) -- Hamamatsu-cho (Monorail) (~20 min)
Tokyo Monorail is available every 5-10 min. 470 JPY.
Hamamatsu-cho (JR) -- Tokyo or Ueno (JR) (6 min for Tokyo, 14 min for Ueno)
Please use "Yamanote line". It's available every ~3 min. 150 (Tokyo) or 160 JPY (Ueno).

Hotels in Tokyo Area

You can easily find hotels in Tokyo area through Rakuten travel service.
http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ (click "Tokyo" on the map)
We recommend to stay at Ueno or Asakusa area.
Some famous hotels are listed below, but reservation through Rakuten travel service tends to be less expensive.

Ueno area
Hotel Park Side http://www.parkside.co.jp/en/
Sutton Place Hotel http://www.thehotel.co.jp/en/sutton_ueno/index.html
Touganeya Hotel http://www.tougane-h.com/e/
Cube Hotel http://www.cubehotel.jp/en/ueno/

Asakusa area
Hotel Kaminarimon http://www.kaminarimon.co.jp/english/index.html
Asakusa View Hotel http://www.viewhotels.co.jp/asakusa/english/index.html
Hotel Sunroute Asakusa http://www.sunroute-asakusa.co.jp/english/

Useful Link

Sightseeing Information (Tochigi prefecture)
Access Information (japan-guide.com)