Nikkō Tōshō-gū

Toshogu is the memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, and it shows the new regime's wealth at its most lavish. Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu turned a fairly simple mausoleum into the spectacular complex seen today in the first half of the 17th century. Look for the Yomeimon, perhaps the most ornate structure in Japan, the sleeping cat carved above a gate beside the main shrine, and the see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys on a storehouse near the entrance. The Shrines and Temples of Nikko became a World Heritage Site in 1999. Tobu limited express trains from Asakusa take about two hours, and the shrine is a 10-minute bus ride from the Tobu and JR Nikko stations.