We spent around a week in Nagano prefecture in November and as well as visiting the famous Japanese Snow Monkeys, the Edo period Nara-juku town and Matsumoto, I also really wanted to do the Togakushi hike and see the famous 400 year old cedar tree avenue at Togakushi Shrine.
We didn’t have a car during this part of our trip to Japan but thankfully the public transport from Nagano City to Togakushi shrine is super straightforward!
The forested area above Nagano is just stunning and the Togakushi hike was my first taste of being out in nature in Japan on this trip as we had come straight from Tokyo and WOW. The nature and the trails in Nagano are simply stunning.
I truly felt so immersed in nature and felt the power of peacefulness of being in the forest and surrounded by shrines and legends dating back hundreds of years. At the top of the shrine there was also some snow - our first experience of snow in Japan and it was just magical!
I’ve had a couple of questions since my trip about whether I did the Togakushi hike so I thought it was easier to put all the information in one place including how to get to Togakushi shrine by public transport and what to expect when you’re there.
The famous cedar tree avenue on the Togakushi hike - Upper Shrine trail
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What is the Togakushi Shrine
Togakushi shrine in a shinto shrine in the mountains above Nagano city in Nagano Prefecture.
Togakushi means “hiding door” because the shrine worships the gods who tore off the door where the Sun Goddess was hiding, in order to restore light back to the world.
Although the lower shrine, middle shrine and upper shrine are the most famous Togakushi shrines, there are actually five shrines which make up the Togakushi Five Shrines Trail.
Togakushi gate
Togakushi torii
About the Togakushi Five Shrines Trail
The five shrines of Togakushi in order are:
Hokosha (lower shrine)
Hinomikosha
Chusha (middle shrine)
Kuzuryusha
Okusha (upper shrine)
These five shrines make up the Togakushi Kodo trail and the trail is 5.5km long, one way. It usually takes people around 2.5 hours to complete and finish at the base of Mount Togakushi at Okusha shrine.
Thankfully the public bus from Nagano stops at entrances on the main road for both the lower, middle and upper shrine, so if you don’t want to hike the whole trail, it’s very easy to take the bus to the portion you choose to hike.
Togakushi hike map
How to get to the Togakushi Shrine from Nagano
We were short on time so we decided to only complete the Togakushi hike to the upper shrine (Okusha) which would allow us to see the Great Torii Gate entrance, the famous avenue of Cedar Trees and reach the foot of the mountain where we could visit Okusha shrine.
The bus from Nagano to Togakushi leaves from Nagano bus station.
You need to take the Nagano-Togakushi line from platform 7 which is bound for Togakushi Campground.
The bus ticket cost 1,550 yen per person and the ride took just over 1 hour. It was such a stunning journey into the mountains and we took an early morning bus so we even saw a cloud inversion over the Nagano Valley!
The cloud inversion seen from the bus ride up the mountainside
There are lots of stops and I highly recommend following the route on Google Maps to check where you are. You will reach the Togakushi Hokosha (lower shrine) stop first if you would like to get off here to start the Togakushi walk.
Stay on for 3 more stops to reach the middle shrine (Togakushi Chusha) or stay on for 3 more stops after that to reach Togakushi Okusha (upper shrine).
If you’re like me and want to do the upper shrine hike to see the forest, mountain and 400-year-old cedar tree avenue then you can just get off at the Okusha upper shrine.
The start of the Okusha Upper Shrine Trail
Where is the row of Cedar Trees at Togakushi Shrine?
The Cedar trees are located at Okusha - the Togakushi Upper Shrine.
You will get off at the bus stop then follow the trail (it’s well marked right next to the road), continue up the first section of path until you reach the main shrine gate which is a red wooden building with a thatch-style roof. Walk through the archway of this building and you will find yourself in the Cedar Avenue on the other side.
Togakushi cedar tree avenue
A view in the other direction
Togakushi hike
Togakushi Upper Shrine tips
It only took us around 1 hour to complete the out-and-back Togakushi hike trail from the bus stop to the shrine and back again. So there’s plenty of time to complete the other shrine trails all in one day if that’s what you choose to do!
The Togakushi trail is fairly easy, with a well-marked path. You are walking through a forest so the floor can be uneven - wear suitable shoes.
We visited shortly after it had snowed and while it had melted on most of the trail, the ground was very wet, at the actual shrine, there was still snow and it was extremely slippery so I would recommend really good quality walking shoes if you’re visiting in the spring, autumn or winter or after rain.
Although most of this trail is fairly flat and easy, the last section to reach the shrine is marked by step, rocky stairs which are uneven and were slippery with the melted snow/ice.
This section of the Togakushi hike was the most precarious as the rocks were so slippery!
At the top, you’ll find the main shrine, several smaller Shinto shrines and information boards. It also looked like there was a cafe or inside seating are but this wasn’t open when we visited.
Shrine at the top of the trail
Watch out for slippery steps if you visit in winter!
Summary: Togakushi hike
The Togakushi trail is such an underrated and beautiful hiking trail near Nagano. I’m so glad we were able to take the bus out and see this part of the Japanese countryside.
Walking through the forest in the mountains just felt like total peace and calm, the sounds and smells of nature truly felt like such a serene experience and the perfect contrast to our previous few days spent in busy Tokyo.
