Two hours by train to the north of Tokyo, the Nikko National Park region, with its mountains, rivers and lakes, embodies all the deities of Buddhism and Shintoism combined; torii and pagodas co-exist in perfect harmony. When the monk Shodo Shonin found the site evocative of the mythical residence of Kannon (goddess of mercy) there in the 8C, many shrines and temples sprung up. Since this pure and sacred land abounds in gods, it was here that the Tosho-gu, the dazzling mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the shoguns, was erected in the 17C. In the shadow of the imposing Nantai volcano, the city of Nikko gleamed gold in its funereal finery and grew thanks to small towns developing around religious buildings, amid cedars and pines.Going up the Daiya River past the sacred Shin-kyo bridge, a winding mountain road leads to the great Lake Chuzenji and charming Okunikko region. It has a profusion of magnificent landscapes of moors, lakes, waterfalls, streams and hot springs. From the late 19C, the region became a popular with those wanting to escape the heat of the Tokyo summer and keen to come and admire the spectacular colours of nature in each season.