What is EcoNikko?
Situated within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nikko, Japan, the EcoNikko company has been created to offer unique opportunities for study, contemplation, discussion and community in a peaceful and sacred (kougoushii) environment. The EcoNikko company vision is to explore a new paradigm for serving humanity and the environment through special events and programs as well as weekly yoga classes and workshops.
The EcoNikko Experience
The EcoNikko experience is dedicated to balanced living through the integration of body, mind and spirit. EcoNikko welcomes participants into an environment that nurtures and supports that time we devote to being fully present in the world and with our selves.
To join us is to enter a community where one can learn something new or experience something ancient. Life’s increasing complexity and the fast pace of contemporary lifestyles often draw us away from a connection within ourselves. We get caught up in the details of daily life and forget to take time to be with nature and our inner self. EcoNikko has created a space where people can discover and celebrate the joyous person who resides within.
At all EcoNikko programs you can find a sense of well being, rejuvenation and new perspectives. And what better place than Nikko, where the temples and shrines offer the perfect setting for finding inner peace, a connection to others and a respect for nature.
The EcoNikko programs are varied and include everything from various forms of yoga study, to environmental and conservation study, wellness education and participation in Japanese and other cultural and spiritual traditions. The beauty of Nikko’s Rinnoji Temple, Toshgu Shrine and our beautiful Myogetsubo Studio offers a historical and cultural richness that encourages us to experience those traditions and rituals which enable us to reconnect with others and within.
As part of the EcoNikko experience we offer many accommodation packages which allow our guests to stay overnight in Nikko so that they can fully engage with the sacred environment and the simple beauty of the area.
About Nikko
Nikko has been known as a holy place for centuries and has always been known as a center for both Shinto and Buddhist worship. Ancient Japanese residents believed that God resided in the mountains of the country. Since Nikko is located at the base of Mt. Nantai, it has always been considered holy. In the year 766 the priest Shoto built the first temple in Nikko near the sacred Shinkyo Bridge, now Rinnoji Temple.
The first Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa left specific instructions upon his death instructing that he be eventually buried in Nikko so that his spirit would serve as a guardian of the Japanese people. It was felt that evil flows from the north, and since Nikko is north of Tokyo (Edo), that Nikko would protect the capital. It took one and half million people one year and five months to build Ieyasu’s Toshogu Shrine! Visitors are always enthralled by the many mythical and fantastic animals that adorn many of the shrines.
Tendai Buddhism has flourished in Nikko for over 1200 years. In 1872 Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines were separated by the Imperial government. Rinnoji Temple was eventually built in 1872.
Because of the artistry, creativity and ingenuity of the architecture, Nikko was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.