Nagano-Togakushi

Chubu, Japan · City, Mountain, Snow

Zenko-ji Temple, one of Japan's most venerated, at the heart of the city; in the nearby mountains, Togakushi's five shrines linked by a forest trail, ending in a 400-year-old cedar avenue leading to Okusha Shrine.

The essentials

Getting there

Train — Direct Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo (about 60-80 min on the 'Kagayaki' train, ¥7,680-8,340 depending on the train) or from Kanazawa; to continue to Togakushi, Alpico buses run from Nagano Station to the shrine area (about 50-60 min, ¥2,500, a private line not covered by any JR pass).

What it is genuinely strong in

🧭 Pilgrimage

Frequently asked questions about Nagano-Togakushi

What to do in Nagano-Togakushi: 25 activities

• Togakushi's Okusha Shrine and the cedar avenue 2.5 h must-see

  The most remote of Togakushi's five shrines, reached via a final avenue of 400-year-old cedars; can be combined with the full trail linking all five shrines (about 6-7 hours).

• Zenko-ji Temple 2 h must-see

  One of Japan's most venerated Buddhist temples, over 1,400 years old, with a pitch-dark passage beneath the main altar in search of the 'key to paradise'.

• Okaidan-meguri, the dark passage under Zenko-ji 0.75 h

  Beneath the main altar runs a corridor in total darkness that you feel your way along until you find the key to paradise, directly below the hidden Buddha. It is the temple's central rite, not an add-on.

• Dawn blessing at Zenko-ji 1.5 h

  As the sun rises the abbot walks down the temple avenue and touches with his rosary the head of those who kneel as he passes; it is free and starts earlier in summer than in winter.

• Gokaicho, the opening of the hidden Buddha 2 h only 4 Apr - 19 Jun

  Every six or seven years the replica of the hidden Buddha is put on display and you can touch a pillar joined to the image by a cord. The next time is from 4 April to 19 June 2027, with enormous crowds: book accommodation far in advance.

• Sleeping in a temple lodging 14 h booking

  The approach avenue to Zenko-ji is lined with temple lodgings that have housed pilgrims for centuries, with a vegetarian dinner and access to the dawn service.

• The five-shrine path of Togakushi 4 h

  The catalogue only had the upper shrine: the full pilgrimage links all five on foot (Hokosha, Hinomikosha, Chusha, Kuzuryusha and Okusha) in about 4 hours through the forest.

• Togakushi soba and the new soba festival 1 h

  One of Japan's three great soba, served in five small mounds on a bamboo basket; in November there is a festival for the freshly harvested soba.

• Kagami-ike, the mirror pond 1.5 h

  A still pond that reflects the entire jagged wall of Mount Togakushi; it is the autumn photograph of the area.

• Nagano lantern festival 2 h only a few days in February

  In February, Zenko-ji is lit in the five Buddhist colours and the avenue fills with paper lanterns painted by residents and schoolchildren.

• Ninja museum of the Togakure school 1.5 h

  The serious museum of the Togakure-ryu ninja school, with real weapons and documents, plus a house of traps and a shuriken throwing range; not the same thing as the children's park. Closed from late November to mid-April.

• Oyaki workshop 1.5 h booking

  Buckwheat flour dumplings stuffed with pickled vegetables or pumpkin, cooked beside the hearth fire; you learn to make them and eat them on the spot.

• Snowshoeing between the shrines 3 h booking

  In winter the cryptomeria avenue lies under 2 metres of snow and is walked with snowshoes and a local guide; the silence is absolute.

• The 1998 Olympic legacy 2 h

  Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Games: the M-Wave arena, with its wave-shaped wooden roof, is still a speed skating rink and houses the Olympic museum.

• Togakushi soba-making workshop 1.5 h booking

  Togakushi is one of Nagano's soba birthplaces; workshops like the Tonkururin Soba Museum teach you to hand-make noodles before eating them.

• Zenko-ji, the temple older than the schools 1 h

  Zenko-ji predates the division of Japanese Buddhism into schools, so it accepts believers from any of them, and it accepted women when many other temples shut them out: that is why it has been a pilgrimage destination for a thousand years.

• A night out in Gondo and the temple district 2.5 h

  The Gondo shopping arcade and the izakaya alleys south of Zenko-ji hold all the nightlife in the city.

• Nagano Binzuru Matsuri 3 h only the first Saturday of August

  In the first week of August, thousands of residents dance along the temple avenue in the city's big popular festival.

• Nagano Prefectural Art Museum 1.5 h

  Reopened in 2021 with a water terrace on the roof looking towards Zenko-ji, and a gallery devoted to the landscapes of Higashiyama Kaii.

• The Togakushi traverse and the ants' crossing 7 h

  The Togakushi ridge includes the 'Ari-no-Towatari', a rock arete with chains and drops on both sides. It is one of the most exposed passages in the Japanese Alps and there have been fatal accidents: it is not for casual hikers.

• Togakushi bamboo basketry 1 h

  Baskets woven from a dwarf mountain bamboo, a craft started by the pilgrims themselves and still a designated craft of the area.

• Togakushi forest botanical garden 2 h

  Wooden boardwalks through wetlands with more than 100 bird species; in May and June it fills with mizubasho flowers.

• Togakushi ski resort 5 h

  A quiet resort an hour from the centre of Nagano, with views of Mount Iizuna and none of the queues of the big resorts.

• Togakushi's children's ninja village 1.5 h

  A theme park by Chusha Shrine with ninja-style trials and traps designed for kids, plus a ninja museum for the adults.

• Nagano Marathon 4 h booking

  Every April, starting beside Zenko-ji and finishing in the Olympic stadium; registration opens months in advance.

What only happens on specific dates

• Nagano lantern festival a few days in February
• Gokaicho, the opening of the hidden Buddha 4 Apr - 19 Jun
• Nagano Binzuru Matsuri the first Saturday of August

Ready-made routes through Nagano-Togakushi

Chains well with

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