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Hello everyone! As we head deeper into June, the full-fledged Japanese summer is fast approaching. While summer in Japan is full of fun festivals and beautiful nature, the intense heat and high humidity can be quite exhausting for both body and mind.

To survive this season, Japan has a long-standing culture of traveling to hisochi (summer retreats). Today, I would like to introduce "Oku-Nikko," an ultimate summer getaway that is refreshingly cool, rich in culture, and easily accessible from Tokyo and Yokohama.

Oku-Nikko and its Lake Chuzenji are located deep in the mountains, even further past the famous Nikko Toshogu Shrine, sitting at an altitude of about 1,300 meters (approx. 4,265 ft). Even when we are sweating and feeling drained in the scorching heat of Tokyo and Yokohama, Oku-Nikko maintains a comfortable and cool temperature of 20 to 23°C (68–73°F).

Nikko Toshogu Shrine, located just before Oku-Nikko, is a very special place for us Japanese. It is a sacred site where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who established a 250-year era of peace, is enshrined and rests.

What makes Lake Chuzenji particularly fascinating for international residents is its history. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, this area became incredibly popular among European diplomats seeking to escape the Tokyo heat, so much so that it was nicknamed the "Summer Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Even today, you can visit the beautifully restored British and Italian Embassy Villa Memorial Parks.

Nikko is very easily accessible from Yokohama Station by taking the Shonan-Shinjuku Line and transferring to the Tobu Line. It is, of course, a highly famous and beloved summer retreat among Japanese people as well, so I highly recommend visiting before the extreme summer heat truly begins.

By the way, one of the most famous sights at Nikko Toshogu Shrine is the "Three Monkeys" (Sanzaru) woodcarving. They represent the proverb "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." If you visit Nikko Toshogu, be sure to look for them!