Nikko, Japan

Nikko (Japanese: 日光市) is a Japanese city in Tochigi Prefecture. The city's name comes from the word nikkou, which literally means sunlight/sunshine in Japanese. Nikko acheived fame as a mountain resort known for its scenic views filled with waterfalls, rivers, forests, and of course, mountains. It's home to several historical and famous sites such as the Futarasan Shrine, a Shinto shrine that includes the Shinkyo. The Shinkyo is the Sacred Bridge that crosses over the Daiya River. It's also home to a Tosho-gu shrine that features the infamous three wise monkeys called the san'en (also called sanzaru or sanbiki no saru in Japanese) that emulate "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." Nikko also has a lot of hot springs and peaceful nature based hotels. It's very beautiful and far away from the images of Tokyo that crowd everyone's minds when they think of Japan. It's a very clean and pristine looking place. Not a lot of lung clogging pollution or anything like that. Just nature and fresh air.

The official flag of Nikko.


The Shinkyo, also know as the Sacred Bridge


A waterfall in Nikko.