Togakushi Shrines and Trees

Just an hour from downtown Nagano, Togakushi area feels like a world apart. Set in the foothills of the Japanese Alps, this sacred region has drawn pilgrims, poets, and even ninjas for centuries. A visit here is more than a hike or temple tour. It’s a quiet step into Japan’s mythic past, where towering cedars and ancient legends still shape the landscape.

At the heart of Togakushi lies its shrine complex, three major shrines spaced along a forested mountain trail. The path between them weaves through a grove of towering cedar trees, some more than 800 years old. The most iconic stretch leads to Okusha Shrine, where a straight stone path cuts through colossal trunks like a natural corridor to another world. At the top, the shrine rests beneath a sheer cliff, a place believed in Shinto mythology to be where the sun goddess’s stone door came to rest.

The Spirit of the Ninja

But Togakushi isn’t all solemn forests and quiet shrines. Togakushi area also has deep ties to ninja lore, especially the Togakure-ryū, one of Japan’s oldest known ninja schools. Families can explore this fascinating legacy at the Togakushi Ninja Museum and the nearby children’s ninja village. With throwing star stations, obstacle courses, and a house full of hidden tricks, it adds a playful, hands-on twist to the area’s historic atmosphere. Somehow, the contrast works and makes the visit all the more memorable.

Round out your visit with a bowl of Togakushi soba, made from local buckwheat and pure mountain water. It’s the kind of meal that reflects the place itself: simple, and deeply satisfying. A day in Togakushi blends myth and movement, quiet reflection and playful energy. Long after you’ve returned to the city, you’ll still hear the echo of footsteps on a forest path.