‘Kai Kinugawa’, a hot spring ryokan situated on a small hill overlooking the Kinugawa River, will once again be offering the ‘Nikkō Tōshōgū Special Prayer Package’ from 1 December 2026 to 28 February 2027, allowing guests to gain vitality for the new year through a special prayer service at the World Heritage Site, Nikkō Tōshōgū.
A special prayer ceremony, exclusive to overnight guests, held in the Prayer Hall of the World Heritage Site, Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Nikkō Tōshō-gū was built as a shrine to enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period, as ‘Tōshō Daigongen’. In 1999, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the ‘Shrines and Temples of Nikko’. Home to numerous ‘power spots’—including the ‘Starting Point of the Hokushin Road’, the ‘Okumiya Pagoda’ (the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and the ‘Kamishin-dō’—it is renowned as one of the most potent spiritual sites in the Kanto region.
With this package, you can take part in a special prayer ceremony, exclusive to guests staying at the hotel, held in the Prayer Hall at Nikko Tōshō-gū. In this special location, which is not accessible to the general public, you will receive a prayer from a Shinto priest and take a moment to pray for the fulfilment of your wishes. This unique experience in a sacred setting will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalised.
Kai’s original ‘Naorai Sweets’, adding a special touch to the time following the prayer service
Following the prayer ceremony, you will experience the ‘Naorai’, a ritual held to mark the conclusion of the Shinto ceremony. At the shop of ‘Nisshodo’—a long-established Japanese confectionery certified as a supplier to Nikko Toshogu Shrine—we will serve original Naorai sweets created in collaboration specifically for this package.
In keeping with the Naorai ritual, where offerings to the deities are shared, you will be able to savour these sweets in a special space that is not normally open to the public.
Prepare your mind and body for your pilgrimage, with comprehensive support for a stay that brings good fortune
Kinugawa Onsen is a historic hot spring resort boasting a tradition stretching back over 300 years; during the Edo period, only monks and daimyo travelling to Nikko were permitted to bathe here. This package offers an experience that allows you to prepare your mind and body for the next day’s prayers, just as the monks and daimyo of old did.
This year, we have prepared a ‘Nikko Pilgrimage Good Fortune Box’ in each guest room to fully support your stay for good fortune. Upon arrival, begin by purifying your mind and body with sacred water, then take a moment to relax with sake, castella cake and tea presented to Nikko Tōshō-gū. During your stay, you can take part in a ‘goshuincho-making’ workshop, combining ‘Kurobane indigo-dyed’ fabric—a traditional craft of Tochigi Prefecture—with ‘Mamada cord’, a craft that flourished in the post towns along the Nikko Kaido. This allows you to create your very own goshuincho in preparation for your visit to the shrine. Through this stay, which combines good fortune with the healing waters of the hot springs, you will prepare both mind and body for the next day’s pilgrimage.
Overview of the ‘Nikko Tōshōgū Special Prayer Package’
| Period: |
1 December 2026 – 28 February 2027 (excluding certain dates) |
| Price: |
From 50,000 yen per night (per person based on double occupancy, including tax and service charge) |
| Included: |
Accommodation, breakfast and dinner, fee for the special prayer at Nikko Toshogu Shrine, admission to the Shogun’s Throne Room tour (including admission fee), a commemorative gift, sacred water, a Kai-original shrine stamp, a Nikko Pilgrimage Good Fortune Box, and Naokai sweets |
＞Kai Kinugawa Official Website
