If you are looking to enjoy the stunning nature of rural Nagano Prefecture, Togakushi (戸隠), which receives approximately 150 thousand visitors yearly, will be one of your top options. The village situated at the foot of Mt. Togakushi in Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park (妙高戸隠連山国立公園) is a must-see in Nagano. The small Japanese village has a rich history and a deep connection with the legend Amano-Iwato (天岩戸). In fact, the name Togakushi is a direct reference to the myth!
Togakushi is a mountain village known for the Togakushi School of ninja arts as well as soba noodles. Both of these were developed from intense training in Shugendō (修験道). The village, about an hour from the center of Nagano City, has a long history. It hosts many temples and shrines scattered on the mountain, built to enshrine the gods that appeared in the legend. It is also home to the training ground of Shūgendō, which aims to cultivate spiritual power through ascetics in the holy mountains.
In the Kamakura period, along with Mt. Hiei and Kōyasan, Togakushi was known as Sanzenbō Sanzan (三千坊三山), which describes the number of Shugendō practitioners and worshipers who once gathered at Togakushi.
In the summer, Togakushi is a popular destination for escaping the city’s heat and going for a hike. During winter, many come to Togakushi for skiing.
What to Do in Togakushi
- How to Get to Togakushi by Bus
- The Four Seasons at Togakushi
- Togakushi Shrine (戸隠神社)
- Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin (戸隠そば博物館 とんくるりん)
- Kids’ Ninja Village (忍者の里チビッ子忍者村)
- Togakushi Ninja Museum・Ninja Trick Mansion (戸隠流忍法資料館 忍者からくり屋敷)
- Kotoriga-ike Pond (小鳥ヶ池)
- Kagami-ike Pond (鏡池)
- Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden (戸隠森林植物園)
- Togakushi Campground (戸隠牧場キャンプ場) and Togakushi Pasture (戸隠牧場)
- Togakushi Ski Resort (戸隠スキー場)
- Togakushi Soba Noodles and Togakushi Soba Festival (戸隠そば祭り)
You can refer to the Nagano Togakushi Map for the above attractions’ locations.
Tip: Refer to the LIVE CAMERA for the current scenery at Togakushi.
Explore Togakushi With a Guided Tour
If you prefer to be guided when visiting Togakushi or want to join one of the interesting activities, consider joining one of the tours below.
- 1-Day Togakushi Tour: Soba making, Ninja Town, and Hidden Shrines
- Professional guided tours offered by Shinano Discovery.
How to Get to Togakushi by Bus
To get to Togakushi by bus, take Alpico Bus Nagano Togakushi Line (route 70 or 73) from Nagano Station or Zenkoji Temple. The bus stop at Nagano Station is in front of the Alpico Kōtsu Nagano Station Information Center.
Important: Boarding a bus to Togakushi with suitcases isn’t a good idea. The buses that serve the area don’t have a luggage trunk. As the buses are usually packed, you won’t have space in the bus to store your suitcases.
- For those who are starting the journey from Ichi no Torii (一の鳥居), please only take route 70 and get off at Mt. Iizuna Trailhead (飯綱登山口). This bus stop is closer to the car park and the toilet.
- If you want to go straight to Togakushi Shrine, both bus routes stop at Togakushi Hōkō-sha (戸隠神社 宝光社).
- Refer to HERE for the timetable and bus fare.
- The timetable is abbreviated. Mt. Iizuna Trailhead is 3 stops before the Soba Museum.
- For a complete timetable for Route 70 and Route 73, please refer to HERE.
- “平日” means weekday
- “土日祝” means weekends and public holidays.
Tip: If you plan to explore other attractions in Nagano Prefecture, such as Zenkōji, Kamikōchi, Norikura, and Matsumoto, there are various discounted transportation passes you can consider. Refer to Alpico’s Website for more information!
The Four Seasons at Togakushi
Togakushi is an area that receives heavy snow in winter. With a temperature lower than that of the city centre, extra clothing may be needed when visiting the village.
- Spring (March to May): Spring thaw period
- Around Togakushi Shrine Kuzuryusha (戸隠神社九頭龍社) and Togakushi Shrine Okusha (戸隠神社奥社), the road will be slippery and harder to trek on.
- The temperature difference between day and night is large. It is recommended to bring both long and short-sleeved shirts, as well as jumpers that can be easily put on and taken off, to accommodate temperature fluctuations.
- Summer (June to August): The peak season in Togakushi
- As a popular summer resort, summer in Togakushi can be packed.
- Despite the cool weather in Togakushi, please ensure you have adequate sun protection, as the altitude is quite high.
- A long, thin sleeve will suffice on a cloudy day.
- Fall (September to November): the autumn foliage season with possible snowfall in November
- The autumn foliage season in Togakushi is from early to mid-October.
- The mountain trail leading to Togakushi Shrine Kuzuryūsha (戸隠神社九頭龍社) and Togakushi Shrine Okusha (戸隠神社奥社) is one of the best places in Nagano Prefecture for autumn foliage hunting.
- Winter (December to February): Many areas in Togakushi won’t be accessible due to heavy snow
- It is the time of the year to enjoy the snow, which accumulates as tall as 2 meters. Please come with sufficient clothing and snow gear.
- The majority of Togakushi Shrine’s precinct will be closed except for the Chūsha Shrine. Shops will be operating on reduced business hours or won’t open at all.
A Pilgrimage to the Five Shrines of Togakushi Jinja Shrine
Togakushi Shrine is the symbol of Togakushi. The shrine, which consists of five sub-shrines, is set amidst rich and stunning natural surroundings. While a one-way pilgrimage takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete, if you prefer not to walk, bus services are available throughout the day to reduce travel time.
For more information, please refer to our article on Togakushi Shrine.
Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin (戸隠そば博物館 とんくるりん)
As suggested by its name, the Togakushi Soba Museum is a facility dedicated to educating visitors about soba noodles. So, of course, you can learn to make the famous Togakushi Soba in the museum.
And don’t worry, you won’t be asked to start the process from scratch. Grinding the buckwheat would be too time-consuming and tiring for tourists!
For a complete picture of how the delicious noodles are made from the dark soba seeds, head to the hall where the soba-making tools are on display (^_-)-☆.
Soba-making Experience at Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin
The Soba-making Experience will take around 1.5 to 2 hours. Depending on the number of portions of noodles you want to make, the fees vary.
- 4 portions: 7,800 yen
- 2 portions: 4,800 yen
The fees above include soba-making, cooking the noodles, and dipping sauce. If you can’t finish all the noodles you make, the remainder will be left uncooked.
Refer to HERE for details on how to enjoy the soba-making activity held at Togakushi. You can translate the website using your browser’s translation function.
Restaurant at Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin
If you’re not interested in making the noodles yourself, you can visit their restaurant for other dishes made with buckwheat. The Soba Dango (そば団子) or Soba Gaki (そばがき) are dishes made from buckwheat flour, which was used before the advent of wheat flour. Instead of cutting the dough thin, the Soba Dango and Soba Gaki are divided into small portions (like a mochi rice cake) and boiled.
Important: If you are strict with your vegetarian diet, bring your own vegan dipping sauce.
Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- Tokururin’s opening hours are 10 am to 4 pm.
- The last order is taken at 3 pm.
- To enter the museum section of the facility, it costs:
- 200 yen for adults
- 150 yen for junior high school students and younger
- For the Soba-making Experience, it is between 10 am and 2 pm.
- Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin is closed on Wednesdays and from December to mid-April. It also closes on Tuesdays in June and September.
- If you are taking a bus, get off at the Soba Museum (そば博物館).
Kids Ninja Village Nagano (忍者の里チビッ子忍者村)
While the name suggests it is for kids, the adventure facility is actually a place in Togakushi where anyone from 3 years old to adults can enjoy various obstacle courses. Although all in Japanese, each of the courses is named after a different ninjutsu (ninja art).
To complete the ninja experience, you can rent out one of their ninja suits before you embark on the courses. The suit is especially handy when the obstacle is above water.
Inside their ninja museum, everything related to ninja is on display. From ninja throwing stars to ninja swords and various kinds of ninja armor, it is a place for you to rediscover what ninja is about!
And if you feel tempted to throw some ninja stars, you can! Just in the same building, you will be given 5 ninja stars. If 3 out of the 5 hit the target, you will receive a prize (^_-)-☆.
For more information about the courses they offer, please refer to their official website HERE. You can check out the photos or translate the webpage using Google Chrome’s translation function, located to the right of the address bar.
Kids’ Ninja Village’s Business Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- The village is open from 9 am to 5 pm from Friday to Wednesday from late April to late November.
- The admission fee to enter the village is
- 650 yen for adults
- 350 yen for children between 4 – 6 years old
- As 6 facilities in the village require an additional 300 yen ticket on top of the admission fee, you can choose to purchase a package that includes admission to the village and these 6 facilities.
- 1,850 yen for elementary school students and above
- 2,200 yen for children between 4 – 6 years old
- Kids’ Ninja Village is just around a 15 to 20-minute walk from Togakushi Chū-sha.
Tip: Show THIS COUPON before you purchase your ticket to get a 100 yen discount on the admission fee or a 200 yen discount on the set ticket (50 yen for children’s admission fee). If you plan to visit the village on weekdays, use THIS COUPON.
Togakushi Ninja Museum・Ninja Trick Mansion (戸隠流忍法資料館 忍者からくり屋敷)
Another ninja-related place in Togakushi is the Togakushi Ninja Museum and Ninja Trick Mansion, close to the starting point of Togakushi Oku-sha Approach. 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 a great place for both adults and children to have a lot of fun. It is the spot that we enjoyed the most in Togakushi!
Refer to our Togakushi Ninja Museum・Ninja Trick Mansion article for more information!
The Scenic Route from Togakushi Shrine Chūsha to Okusha
The Togakushi mountain range is renowned for its stunning scenery. But it would be a bit of a shame if you only came to the sacred mountain for the Togakushi Shrine, Togakushi Soba Noodles, and visiting the Ninja mansion.
Instead of heading straight from Chūsha to get to Okusha, you can make a slight detour to the Kagami-ike Pond and Kotoriga-ike Pond. The promenade here will eventually lead to the cedar-lined approach of Oku-sha.
As there aren’t any road signs directing you to Kotoriga-ike Pond, you will want to head to Lamp Cafe (喫茶ランプ) from Chū-sha. From there, follow the road that has grass growing on its right and you will be on the promenade to Kotoriga-ike Pond in no time.
While walking on the promenade, you will see some tombstones on your right. These are the gravestones of the monks who held important positions in the former Togakushiyama Kenkōji Temple (戸隠山 顕光寺), now known as the Togakushi Shrine.
If you follow the directional signs along the way, you will eventually arrive at Kotoriga-ike Pond.
From the trailhead to Kotoriga-ike Pond, it should take around 10 minutes to arrive at Oku-sha.
Kagami-ike Pond (鏡池)
On the way to Togakushi Okusha, you can make a detour to Kagami-ike, a scenic pond located at an altitude of 1,200 meters. The pond is extra picturesque when the vivid autumn color is reflected on the mirror-like surface from early to late October.
We got to the pond at the end of the fall foliage season on a cloudy day, so we didn’t get the view in the photo above. But at least it wasn’t raining, and the pond still reflected like a mirror.
Check out the Folios of Rubbings in the 2nd photo in the Instagram post. Grab a pencil and paper, and get yourself a scenic pond print!
If you are curious about what the pond looks like now, you can check the live camera HERE.
Tips: If you plan to visit Kagami Pond during the autumn foliage season, it is recommended to go on weekdays to avoid crowds. If you can only go on weekends, try to get there as early as possible. Although there will be many photographers in the early morning, it will still be less crowded.
How to Get to Kagami-ike Pond
- If you are taking a bus, get off at Kagami-ike Iriguchi (鏡池入口). From there, it will be a 30-minute hike.
- Note: Only Bus Route 70 will stop at Kagami-ike Iriguchi.
- If you are driving, it is better to make a left turn at the intersection close to Togakushi Hokosha Shrine rather than heading there from Chūsha, as the road is narrower.
Important: During the autumn foliage season, traffic restrictions might be in place around Kagami-ike Pond.
Tip: The hike between Kagami-ike iriguchi bus stop and Kagami-ike Pond is tiring. The motor road ascends to the top of the mountain before descending back down to the pond. An easier way to get to Kagami-ike Pond is starting the journey from Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden. The promenade is flat and won’t consume much physical stamina.
Kotoriga-ike Pond (小鳥ヶ池)
Compared to the Kagami-ike Pond, Kotoriga-ike Pond is more of a hidden gem. If you find yourself being pushed around at Kagami-ike Pond in the fall foliage season, head to Kotoriga-ike Pond, which will give you some breathing space.
Then, to get to Kagami-ike Pond, follow the promenade and pass the Suzuri-ishi Stone (硯石). You will eventually arrive at the car park of Kagami-ike Pond.
You can follow the Togakushi Area Map for a visual of the route.
Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden (戸隠森林植物園)
Trekking towards the approach of Togakushi Shrine Oku-sha, you will get to the Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden, which is free to enter. It is vast and can take about 2 hours to explore fully (71 hectares). Walking around the garden, you might hear songs from various seasonal birds or even spot a few of them!
The garden is most famously known for the skunk cabbage, which blooms from early to mid-May. In addition to the skunk cabbage, various alpine plants will also blossom from late April to mid-October.
Refer to HERE for the Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden map. Although it is in Japanese, it will still give you some idea of the garden’s layout. The numbers marked on the map indicate the time required to get from point A to point B.
In the garden, there is another pond called Midoriga-ike. Although it can’t reflect the mountain ranges nearby, the surrounding forest still provides an astonishing view of the pond’s surface.
After you have your fill of the park, following the promenade at the far back of the garden will lead you to the Zuijinmon Gate (随神門) in the middle of the 2 km Togakushi Shrine’s approach.
Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden’s Opening Hours and Access Information
- The park is open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm from late April to late November.
- It is closed on Mondays. If Monday is a public holiday, it will close on the next business day.
- In 2025, Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden is open from April 26 to November 24.
- If you are taking a bus, get off at Forest Botanical Garden Entrance (森林植物園入口).
Togakushi Campground (戸隠牧場キャンプ場) and Togakushi Pasture (戸隠牧場)
For those who love camping or like to spend a night in a cottage in Togakushi, head to the Togakushi Campground, approximately a 20-minute walk from Togakushi Oku-sha’s approach.
Everything you need for camping can be rented from the campground’s office. From tents and cooking utensils to rice and drinks, you can source almost anything from the campground’s shop between 8:30 am and 5 pm.
The only thing you will need to bring along with you is other ingredients, such as mushrooms and vegetables, that you want to use to make one of your dinner and breakfast dishes.
At the back of the campground is the Togakushi Pasture, where you can meet various farm animals, including cows, goats, rabbits, and Guinea pigs.
The animals in the pasture are quite used to people, so if you want to get closer to them, they won’t run away (^_-)-☆.
As a campground guest, you will be admitted free of charge to the pasture. For others, the cost is 300 yen per person (for elementary school students and older).
Togakushi Campground and Togakushi Pasture’s Opening Hours and Access Information
- Togakushi Campground is accepting guests from late April to late October.
- Togakushi Pasture is open from early June to early October.
- To get to Togakushi Campground, please take bus route 70 from Nagano Station and get off at Togakushi Campground (戸隠キャンプ場).
Togakushi Ski Resort (戸隠スキー場)
If you love skiing, visiting Togakushi in winter means enjoying the fine powder on 19 of Togakushi Ski Resort’s courses, complemented by the delicious Togakushi Soba and the spiritual experience at Togakushi Shrine.
Unlike the many other highly frequented ski resorts in the prefecture, Togakushi Ski Resort is unlikely to be packed – especially on weekdays. Combined with the fact that it is located at a high elevation, the snow quality can generally be considered superior to that of the other ski resorts.
Tip: The ski resort has English-speaking staff at the reception.
For more information, please refer to the official website HERE.
Tokugashi Ski Resort’s Business Hours and Acess Information
- Tokugashi Ski Resort is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm from mid-December to late March.
- In the 2025/2026 season, Togakushi Ski Area is open from December 13 to March 31.
- If you are taking a bus from Nagano Station, get off at Tokugashi Ski Resort (戸隠スキー場).
Tip: Refer to their Japanese website HERE for various discount tickets. Remember to use Chrome’s translation function, located to the right of the address bar, to translate the webpage.
Togakushi Soba Noodles and Togakushi Soba Festival (戸隠そば祭り)
When you visit Togakushi, don’t miss out on the Togakushi Soba, one of Japan’s three great buckwheat noodles. The locals take their soba noodles so seriously that there is even a soba festival held in autumn once a year! Read on for everything you need to know about the Togakushi Soba Festival and our picks for the top restaurants to enjoy Togakushi soba!
For more information, refer to our article on Togakushi Soba!
Extending Your Visit to Kinasa, Togakushi’s Neighbor
Many of the attractions in Togakushi are closely linked to those in Kinasa. The small village is also home to one of the most beautiful valleys in the region. There is even a vegan cafe!
For more information, please refer to our article on Kinasa!
