Besides Kids’ Ninja Village, Togakushi Ninja Museum and Ninja Trick Mansion (戸隠流忍法資料館 忍者からくり屋敷), close to the starting point of Togakushi Oku-sha Approach, is another ninja-related attraction in Togakushi. A ninja’s home is often filled with traps that help them get a leg up on their adversaries. If you are interested in visiting one of these houses, drop by the Ninja Trick Mansion! The mansion is where both adults and children will have a lot of fun. It is the spot that we enjoyed the most in Togakushi!
Togakushi Ninja Trick Mansion (戸隠忍者からくり屋敷)
The facility is similar to an escape room, meaning you will need to use your brain to avoid being trapped inside. Our tip on finding your way out is to try to move and/or push the objects in the room around. A scroll on the wall can be the passageway to another room.
We really were tricked by the mansion. Spending over 15 minutes trying to get back down. A Japanese boy eventually found the path to the stairs, which freed everyone from the endless searching (´▽｀*).
Tips: If too many people are inside the mansion, it will be difficult to avoid spoilers on the tricks used to escape. Thus it is advisable to avoid weekends and public holidays.
Because it looked like the young boy would solve all the tricks, we decided to remain on the second floor until no guests were on the first floor.
That probably wasn’t a smart idea when nature calls. We couldn’t find our way out on the first floor and started doubting the warning on a wooden wall. It says, “This isn’t the exit”, and we thought that might be a trick! So, we managed to remove the wooden partition.
While removing the wooden partition wasn’t hard, putting it back in its original position wasn’t as easy as we thought. Thankfully, the staff came to our rescue after a few minutes. Judging by his reaction, we probably weren’t the first group of people who demolished a part of the facility to get out (´▽｀*).
Important: Photography isn’t allowed inside the tricked mansion, sadly. So we don’t have photos to show you what the interior of the mansion looks like.
Inside Togakushi Ninja Museum
Apart from the Ninja Trick Mansion, there is also a Togakushi ninja art school museum which displays around 500 tools that the ninja used in Togakushi. The photos on the wall will show you how the ninjas a couple of centuries ago used to walk on water, climb castle walls, and much more.
There is also the Togakushi Folk Museum, where you can get an idea of the local’s life back in the Edo period.
When you need a break, head to the cafe that offers coffee and desserts.
The average time to escape from the mansion is 15 to 45 minutes. If you add to this the time it takes to explore the museums and walk around, you might end up spending 1 to 2 hours here.
For more information, please refer to their website HERE.
Togakushi Ninja Museum・Ninja Trick Mansion’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- The facility is open from 9 am to 5 pm from late April to November.
- The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
- The admission fee to enter the village is
- 700 yen for adults
- 500 yen for elementary and junior high school students
- 200 yen for children less than 4 years old.
- It is just a 5-minute walk from the bus stop – Togakushi-Okushairiguchi (戸隠奥社入口).
Discover Other Interesting Attractions in Togakushi
The mountain range of Togakushi is known for its beautiful Chinese-ink-painting-like scenery. Food-wise, Togakushi is known for Togakushi Soba Noodles. There is also a large campsite, a ski resort, and a Togakushi ninja school!
So, check out our article on Togakushi to discover the best restaurants for mouthwatering soba noodles, the scenic spots in the area, and more (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
