Visit the Toshogu Shrine, a magnificent memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Explore the lavishly decorated shrine complex, consisting of more than a dozen buildings set in a beautiful forest.

Exchange your voucher at the Tobu Nikko Station Tourist Center and head to the shrine. Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Toshogu was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 17th century.

Admire the countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan, where simplicity has been traditionally stressed in shrine architecture. Notice that Toshogu contains both Shinto and Buddhist elements.