Nikkō is the town beneath a World Heritage shrine complex, and for centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage. Toshogu, the great shrine of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, stands in a cedar forest, covered in gold leaf and intricate carvings, including the famous sleeping cat and the three wise monkeys. The Rinnoji temple and Futarasan shrine complete the group, and together with the nearby red Shinkyo bridge they draw visitors from across Japan and abroad. Nikkō has fewer than sixteen thousand people, while Imaichi, only a short way down the valley, is larger and has more fuel and shops.
The saying goes, Never say magnificent until you have seen Nikkō, and it is a fair summary of the effect the place has. The shrines were built in the seventeenth century and are marvels of woodwork, lacquer and painted detail. The town lies at the foot of the mountains, with the Daiya river flowing through, and the forests around are thick with cedar and beech.
For riders, Nikkō is the start of the Irohazaka roads, two one-way winding routes that climb about 500 metres to Lake Chuzenji with a total of 48 hairpin bends, each marked with a letter of the old Japanese alphabet, the iroha. The roads were built in the 1950s, and the upward and downward routes are separate, so you climb one and descend the other. The tarmac is smooth, the hairpins are tight and well signed, and the road is usually busy with tourists, buses and other bikes. In autumn the foliage here is among the most celebrated in Japan, and traffic can be heavy.
Fuel is available in town and in Imaichi. In Nikkō, you can eat yuba, tofu skin, a local speciality that comes from the temple-food tradition, or soba noodles and grilled fish. The weather changes quickly in the mountains: mist, rain and cooler air often arrive on the plateau above. In winter, snow and ice can close the roads or require tyre chains. The best times are May to early June and mid-October, with fresh green or red leaves, and an early start to beat the buses.