Togakushi Shrine
戸隠神社36°45′ N 138°05′ EShrine
Togakushi Shrine is five shrines spread across the foot of Mt. Togakushi above Nagano City, and it suits walkers who want a half-day pilgrimage through old cedar forest; the Okusha inner shrine closes from 7 January to late April.
Photo Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Partly open
In winter the Togakushi bus terminates at the ski resort and skips the Okusha entrance stop, so walk from Chusha or take a taxi.
- No private cars on the Okusha approach; walk the 2 km from the entrance, about 40 minutes each way.
- The Okusha hall closes from 7 January to late April, and Okusha and Kuzuryusha goshuin are given at Chusha in that period.
- Snow can close the shrine car parks in winter.
- The Okusha forest, cedar avenue included, is a Nagano prefectural historic site and natural monument.
- Mt. Togakushi itself is the object of worship here, so keep to the paths around Okusha and Kuzuryusha and leave the forest as you find it.
- Daidai kagura, the sacred dance offered at Chusha, is a prayer to the deities; watch it quietly.
The name
戸隠
戸隠Hidden door
japanese
The shrine tells the myth that the rock door of Ama-no-Iwato fell to earth and became Mt. Togakushi, a story the name's characters for door and hidden recall. The shrine presents this as legend.
Related places
The five shrines, Okusha, Chusha, Hokosha, Kuzuryusha and Hinomikosha, honour deities from the myth of Ama-no-Iwato, the cave where the sun goddess Amaterasu hid. In the shrine's telling, the rock door of that cave fell to earth and became Mt. Togakushi. People worshipped the mountain and its water first. The site later became Kenkoji, a Tendai temple and a centre of Shugendo mountain asceticism, until the Meiji government's 1868 order separating Shinto from Buddhism made it a shrine.
The Okusha approach runs about 2 km from the road. The first stretch to the thatched red Zuishinmon gate is almost flat and takes about 15 minutes. Past the gate an avenue of kumasugi cedars more than 400 years old lines the path for about 500 metres. The last 20 to 25 minutes climb rough stone steps to Okusha and to Kuzuryusha, which honours a nine-headed dragon deity of water.
Walking all five shrines takes about half a day. The Kanmichi, the old pilgrims' path up from Zenko-ji, links the lower shrines to Chusha through the forest, and Chusha is a 30-minute walk from the Okusha entrance. Chusha's hall has a ceiling dragon first painted by Kawanabe Kyosai and restored in 2003, and three cedars over 800 years old stand together in its grounds.
In 2027 the shrine holds its Shikinen Taisai, its largest festival, from 25 April to 25 May. Mid-August brings the heaviest traffic of the year, and in 2026 a local council trialled shuttle buses to ease it.
Worth knowing
- Take the Alpico bus bound for Togakushi Kogen from stop No. 7 at Nagano Station; it takes about an hour.
- Avoid 14 and 15 August if you can; Obon brings the year's worst traffic and parking around the shrines.
- The toilets at the Okusha entrance and the large car park west of Chusha were closed for renovation in September 2026.
Quick answers about Togakushi Shrineよくある質問
How long is the walk to Togakushi Okusha?
About 40 minutes each way from the Okusha entrance: 15 minutes to the Zuishinmon gate, then 20 to 25 minutes up the cedar avenue and stone steps.
Is Togakushi Okusha open in winter?
The Togakushi Okusha hall closes from 7 January to late April, and its goshuin is given at Chusha in that period. In winter the bus does not stop at the Okusha entrance.
How do I get to Togakushi Shrine from Nagano Station?
Take the Alpico bus bound for Togakushi Kogen from stop No. 7 at Nagano Station. The ride to Togakushi Shrine takes about an hour.
Can you visit Togakushi Shrine?
Partly open. No private cars on the Okusha approach; walk the 2 km from the entrance, about 40 minutes each way. The Okusha hall closes from 7 January to late April, and Okusha and Kuzuryusha goshuin are given at Chusha in that period. Snow can close the shrine car parks in winter. The Okusha forest, cedar avenue included, is a Nagano prefectural historic site and natural monument.
How should you behave at Togakushi Shrine?
At Togakushi Shrine: Mt. Togakushi itself is the object of worship here, so keep to the paths around Okusha and Kuzuryusha and leave the forest as you find it. Daidai kagura, the sacred dance offered at Chusha, is a prayer to the deities; watch it quietly.
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