Togakushi area is considered as one of the most important places for the Esoteric Buddhism. Togakushi Kodo is a path which has been used by mountainous ascetics since ancient times. On this tour, we are going to walk the pilgrimage trail and visit the five Togakushi shrines. Let's explore the mysterious culture and abundant nature of Togakushi area!
Nagano station
8:15AM Meeting at Nagano station
9:30AM Start Hiking from Togakushi Hokosha Area
10:30AM Walking on the ancient pilgrimage path in the National Park's forest and visiting Hokosha Shrine.
11:00AM Visiting traditional bamboo craft shops and Chusha shrine
11:30AM Lunch at Togakushi Soba restaurant ( can be changed to other restaurant)
13:15PM Visiting famous 400 years old Japanese Cedar trees lined along the approach of Okusha shrine
14:00PM Kagamiike pond
15:20PM Chusha Bus Stop and Back to Nagano Station
16:30PM Tour Finish at Nagano Station
Togakushi Chusha Bus stop
Togakushi Kodo is a path used by mountainous ascetics who came to practice religious austerities in the Togakushi mountain range since ancient times.
It is said that the origin of Togakushi shrine is more than 2000 years ago.
There are lots of remains such as stone statues, signpost, stone paved path and huge cedar tree line along the Togakushi kodo path.
Also there are many temple lodges and traditional bamboo craft shops dotted in the area and makes the place a unique atmosphere.
The Togakushi area is also designated as National Park and preserves abundant nature.
You will enjoy both the mysterious culture of Esoteric Buddhism and beautiful nature walk.
It is also possible to visit Ninja's trick house as optional.( 30 minutes and approx. US$10 admission fee required.)
Guide fee,
Transportation fee ( guide and customer) , the bus costs(round trip from Nagano station to Togakushi area ) 2250 yen~2500 yen/ person.
Lunch fee will be cost approx. 1500 yen/person.
I can guide you not only in Nagano, but also some other areas such as Matsumoto, Takayama, Kanazawa.(Transportation fee for the guide needed.)
We may have to change the itinerary depending on the weather conditions.
Please prepare the below
・Comfortable shoes
・Proper wearing for the season ( Togakushi is located at the elevation of around 1100m above sea level)
If we can meet up at the Togakushi Hokosha bus stop, you don't need to prepare the guide's transportation fee.(Please feel free to ask me about the details of the meet up point and the meeting time.)
If you have any food allergy, please let me know in advance.
Highly recommend - Kouhei tailored the entire day to our family and was very knowledgeable about the natural ecosystems as well as the historical significance.
Thank you for joining the Nagano Winter Special tour! I am glad that you enjoyed the day! I also enjoyed a lot with you and your family!! Thank you!!
We had the most amazing day with Kouhei. He is was very good at stopping and sharing knowledge of the forest and the wildlife. It was beautiful and peaceful on the tour and then he looked after us with a break and made hot coffee out in the forest. Sharing his knowledge of the Shinto shrines added a lot to the experience and I would recommend to others that they also enjoy this day.
Thank you very much for joining the Togakushi Snowshoe Hiking Tour! I am very grateful that you enjoyed the tour :) It was a beautiful day! I hope you will enjoy the skiing and snowboarding as well, and maybe see you on the hill! Thank you!!! Best Regards, Kouhei Nishida
If you want to go snowshoe hiking at Togakushi, Kouhei is the best guide because he is very knowledgeable about the nature, culture and wildlife of the area. He was also flexible with the itinerary and fitted it to our schedule. Book with him for the best experience. Thank you very much Kouhei!
Thank you so much for joining the Nagano Snowshoe Hiking tour! It was great to meet you two. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour. Have a wonderful trip in Japan! Best Regards, Kouhei Nishida
We booked a 3 day tour with Kouhei around Nagano prefecture. We visited Matsumoto, the Jigokudani monkey park, Obuse Old town, plus a lovely hike to Togakushi Shrine and the Mirror Lake under lovely snow. Kouhei was a fantastic guide, entertaining me, my wife and our 2 daughters (8 and 12) with Japanese history and nature stories. I would definitely recommend him to anyone,
Thank you so much for visiting Nagano. It was really great to be able to spend 3 days with you and your family! I am also very happy to hear that you enjoyed Nagano :) Please say hi to everyone. Thank you!!