Tochigi: World Heritage Nikko and Onsen Valleys
Tochigi, an easy train ride north of Tokyo, is home to the lavishly decorated Toshogu Shrine of World Heritage Nikko, the highlands of Oku-Nikko with Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji, and the riverside hot spring town of Kinugawa Onsen.
Around Nikko and Kinugawa, Halal Gourmet Japan features hotels and inns with halal options available: a classic hotel founded in the Meiji era, a hotel on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, an inn in the Yumoto Onsen hot spring area, and a Kinugawa Onsen hotel that describes preparing meals for Muslim guests in a dedicated kitchen with dedicated utensils and offering a prayer room. An inn standing within the World Heritage temple grounds describes serving a pork-free, alcohol-free bento made with certified halal chicken and seasonings, and opening its prayer room — equipped with prayer mats and a qibla compass — to daytime visitors. Halal meals may require an advance reservation, so it is worth checking each listing's page before your visit.
Beyond the hotels, the listings include a Western-style restaurant right in front of Tobu Nikko Station with Muslim-friendly menu options, a Japanese restaurant inside Tobu World Square — a theme park recreating famous world landmarks at 1:25 scale — serving Nikko's specialty yuba (tofu skin) on a pork-free, alcohol-free menu, a sixth-generation kappo restaurant in Sano, a restaurant built around naturally grown vegetables, and a Muslim-owned chicken kebab shop.
For prayer, the listings include mosques such as Ashikaga Masjid, Sano Masjid, Babul Islam Masjid in Oyama and Kanuma Masjid, along with prayer spaces at Tobu Nikko Station and inside Tobu World Square. Qibla direction and wudu facilities are noted on each page.
Use the Halal Gourmet Japan map to line up meals and prayer along your route, and enjoy Nikko's shrines, Oku-Nikko's scenery and Kinugawa's hot springs at your own pace.
Content reviewed: August 20, 2026
