Togakushi: Five Shrines Walk, Okusha Cedar Avenue and Soba in Nagano City, Nagano

This guide covers the five shrines, the Okusha cedar avenue, soba and the route from Nagano to Togakushi.

A row of Kumasugi cedars continues from the Zuishinmon gate along the Okusha approach, and this guide follows the walk from shrine to shrine, then the soba shops, museums and the way in.

Quick Facts

Item	Detail
Sightseeing express from Nagano Station to Togakushi Chusha	About 55 minutes
Sightseeing express fare from Nagano Station to Togakushi Chusha	2,500 yen
Okusha approach length	About 2 km

The Five Shrines Walk: Hokosha, Hinomikosha and Chusha

Those walking between the five shrines follow the Kamimichi forest path. The Kamimichi path joins Hokosha and Chusha on foot. Visitors reach Hokosha by climbing stone steps among old cedar trees.

The list below gives the walking time between the shrines.

1. From Hokosha, walk the Kamimichi forest path to Hinomikosha, which takes about 15 minutes.
2. From Hinomikosha, walk the Kamimichi path to Chusha, which takes about 15 minutes, or about 3 minutes by car.
3. From Chusha, walk to the Okusha approach entrance, which takes about 30 minutes, or about 5 minutes by car.

Item	Detail
Walking route from Hokosha to Hinomikosha	About 700 m
Walk from Hokosha to Chusha via the Kamimichi path	About 30 minutes
Drive from Hokosha to Chusha	About 5 minutes
Hinomikosha founded	1098
Chusha relocated to its present site from Okusha	1087
Chusha office reception hours	9:00 to 17:00
Hokosha free parking lot	About 20 cars, available 24 hours
Hinomikosha free parking lot	About 3 cars, available 24 hours
Chusha west large parking lot	Free, about 100 spaces

The Okusha Approach: Cedar Avenue to the Inner Shrine

Cars cannot enter the Okusha approach, so visitors reach Okusha and Kuzuryusha on foot. The Okusha forest mixes zelkova, linden, beech, horse chestnut, mountain cherry, alder and oak with fir, yew and cedar. At the start of spring and the start of winter, the morning sun rises along the line from the Zuishinmon gate to the torii at the entrance of the approach.

The list below gives the walking time from the approach entrance to Okusha.

1. From the Okusha approach entrance, walk to the Zuishinmon gate, a gentle, almost flat uphill walk of about 15 minutes.
2. From the Zuishinmon gate, walk to Okusha, which takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

The last stretch up to Okusha is like climbing a stairway mixed with natural stones.

Item	Detail
Walk from the approach entrance to Okusha	About 40 minutes
Row of Kumasugi cedars from the Zuishinmon gate	About 500 m, cedars about 400 years old
Drive from the Shinanomachi Interchange to the Okusha entrance	About 30 minutes
Okusha entrance paid parking lot	600 yen for 3 hours, 120 spaces
Okusha office reception hours	9:00 to 17:00

Soba, Museums and Kagami-ike

Each soba shop in Togakushi differs in noodle thickness and in the flavor of its dipping sauce.

The table below lists opening times and prices around Chusha and Kagami-ike.

Item	Detail
Kanoya soba shop, open season and hours	End of April to end of November, 11:00 to 14:00
Kanoya closed days	Thursdays and the third Friday, open if it falls on a public holiday or festival day
Togakushi Folklore Museum hours	Late April to November, 9:00 to 17:00, reception until 16:30
Togakushi Soba Museum Tonkururin hours	10:00 to 16:00, experience reception 10:00 to 14:00
Combined ticket for the folk museum, ninja museum and ninja trick mansion, adults	700 yen
Combined ticket, elementary and junior high school students	500 yen
Combined ticket, young children aged 4 to before elementary school	200 yen
Kagamiike Donguri House BBQ hut rental, roofed	2,000 yen per hut

Visitors who prefer to join a tour can browse tours around Togakushi.

Getting to Togakushi from Nagano Station

The route to Togakushi starts in Nagano.

1. Take the Alpico Kotsu sightseeing express Togakushi line from Nagano Station to Togakushi Chusha, which takes about 55 minutes.
2. Pay the fare, which is 2,500 yen, with the child fare at half price.

Item	Detail
Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano Station	1 hour 25 minutes, the shortest travel time, subject to variation by service
Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Nagano Station	1 hour 8 minutes, the shortest travel time, subject to variation by service
Chuo Line limited express Shinano from Nagoya to Nagano Station	2 hours 53 minutes, the shortest travel time, subject to variation by service
Payment on the sightseeing express	Visa contactless payment can be used, and IC cards cannot be used
Coach type on the sightseeing express Togakushi line	Seated sightseeing-coach-type buses