Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Sumida-ku, Tokyo) and the Nikko Natural Science Museum Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Nikko, Tochigi) will launch sales of the limited-time Lakeside Picnic Ride plan in the Oku-Nikko area, which combines rental bikes with food from the takeout menu offered by Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel. This travel plan will be available from Wednesday, July 1, to Monday, November 30, 2026.
The Oku-Nikko area is surrounded by majestic nature, including Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls, and Mount Nantai, and is one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations, where visitors can enjoy scenic views in every season.
With this plan, travelers can rent a bike in the Oku-Nikko area, get takeout from the coffeehouse Yukon at the Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel, enjoy a walk while taking in the majestic natural scenery of the lake and mountains, and have a picnic at the Lake Chuzenji Boat House.
By making an advance reservation with this plan, travelers can rent a bike from the Nikko Natural Science Museum, adjacent to the Chuzenji Onsen Bus Terminal, and enjoy leisurely cycling around Lake Chuzenji and the Oku-Nikko area.
The Oku-Nikko area is visited by many throughout the year, but visitors tend to be especially concentrated during the Golden Week holidays or in fall foliage season, leading to crowding and long lines at tourist spots and restaurants.
This initiative allows travelers to enjoy comfortable walks and picnics while avoiding crowding and long lines by using bikes that don’t emit greenhouse gases in the Oku-Nikko area, which the Ministry of the Environment selected as a pioneering area for decarbonization in 2023. Tobu also hopes that visitors can experience what it calls “International Eco-Resort Nikko,” an initiative that aims to support the sustainable development of the Nikko area, where history, culture, traditions, and nature coexist. This initiative aims to increase visitor satisfaction with the Oku-Nikko area and extend the time visitors spend there. This will improve movement in the area and distribute visitors more evenly, which will, in turn, lead to regional revitalization by creating consumption opportunities.
