Some destinations in Japan are visually famous without being identifiable. Which makes sense in the era of social media and memes, where images are arguably more important than information.
A classic example of this? A vermillion shrine located deep within a snowy cedar forest, which seems to be empty of tourists in spite of hundreds of reels of it getting millions of views per month on Instagram. Or, as we might’ve called it in a more detailed-focus era, Togakushi Shrine in Nagano prefecture.
But is Togakushi Shrine worth visiting, and does it live up to the hype you feel when you see it depicted esoterically? I’ll do my best to settle this dispute once and for all.
How to Get to Togakushi Shrine
Traveling from Nagano to Togakushi Shrine is easy. Simply go out the west exit of Nagano Station, and go to the Alpico Ticket Office. Here, you’ll need to buy tickets outright for the Alpico Bus that takes you to Togakushi Chusha, the closest bus stop to the shrine’s famous Cedar Promenade, at least in winter. Annoyingly, you need to buy the ticket outright, as Alpico Buses don’t take IC cards.
From the bus stop, it’s about 30-60 minutes on foot to Togakushi Okusha, through whose gate you find the towering trees. How long this takes you depends upon the condition of the trail, the number of other people and also, your footwear. I’ll say more about this in a minute, but for now I’ll just foreshadow that I might’ve made a bad decision in this regard.
5 Things to Know About Visiting Togakushi Shrine
It’s only really amazing in winter
Look, I’m as big of a fan of sugi as any other Japanophile—I went all the way to Yakushima Island to see them! At the same time, what makes the trees along Cedar Promenade at Togakushi special are the snow on and beneath them. If you can’t come here during winter, it might not be worth coming at all.
But it’s not an easy hike in the snow
With this being said, Togakushi Shrine in winter is not a walk in the park. Rather, it’s a 30-60 minute trek from Togakushi Chusha bus stop to the Togakushi Okusha central shrine. While I’m usually agnostic about footwear when hiking, this trail is frequently icy. You need a good pair of snow boots, and potentially even crampons.
There’s not a whole lot to do nearby
Although there are some picturesque soba shops and of course lots of forest scenery, much of Togakushi Town shuts down during the winter months. Once you get here, hike to the shrine and come back to the bus stop, you’ve seen almost everything. Which is why this is so ideal as a half-day trip, rather than a full one.
It’s easy, but not foolproof
It might sound obvious, but the bus ride from Nagano Station to Togakushi Chusha bus stop is an inextricable part of your Togakushi Shrine day trip. Many aspects of this are not obvious, in fact. For example, the Alpico Bus that makes the journey doesn’t accept IC cards. And the ticket office, for its part, is often inundated.
You can do the trip from Tokyo
On the other hand, if you can organize your trip right, it’s possible to do the trip as a whole-day excursion from Tokyo (or, on the other end of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Kanazawa). As long as you time your train arrival with your bus departure (or vice-versa), you can leave at 8 or 9 AM and get back by 8 or 9 PM.
Does Togakushi Shrine Live Up to the Hype?
I wasn’t sure what to make of Togakushi Shrine until I made peace with the possibility of falling multiple times (and, more than that, the shame and humiliation that would accompany doing so). Up until that point, I think I minimized the majesty of what I was seeing, so that I wouldn’t be disappointed if it became clear that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to my final destination.
I’ll admit it: Once I passed through the red shrine gate and onto Cedar Promenade, I could not deny that Togakushi Shrine is worth it. It was literally like stepping into one of the pictures or videos I’ve seen online, even if it was much more crowded than I expected. I could’ve done without said crowds castigating me for my poor footwear choice, but what can you do? Like, where are they now?
Other FAQ About Visiting Togakushi Shrine
Is Togakushi Shrine worth visiting?
Togakushi Shrine is worth visiting under some circumstances. For example, if you already plan to be in Nagano, or are able to stop there for at least half a a day en route back to Tokyo. Secondly, if you are able to go there in winter, which is really the only time of year when the place takes on a magical quality.
How long does it take to hike to Togakushi Shrine?
Hiking from Togakushi Chusha (the last accessible bus stop during the winter) to Cedar Promenade takes between 30-60 minutes, depending upon how snowy and icy the trail is. However, the bus itself takes over an hour each way, so you can count on the entire trip requiring half a day from Nagano Station.
How do I go to Togakushi Shrine?
The first step of reaching Togakushi Shrine is getting to Nagano Station. You’ll then go out the west exit, where you can buy a ticket for an Alpico Bus bound for Togakushi Chusha. Once here, it’s between 30-60 minutes on foot to reach the Togakushi Okusha (Inner Shrine) Cedar Promenade.
The Bottom Line
Is Togakushi Shrine worth visiting? It honestly depends. While I wouldn’t go far out of my way to do so, it’s an obvious choice of excursion if you’ll be in Nagano anyway, whether as an overnight destination, or on your way between the Hokuriku region and Tokyo. On the other hand, it’s important to know that the shrine is only really mystical during the middle of winter—I wouldn’t recommend a day trip if snow is not on the ground. Want personalized advice on how to put your Japan adventure together, whether or not it ends up including Togakushi-jinja? Commission a custom Japan itinerary today!
