Sitting just outside Nagano City, the forests of Togakushi are home to some of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines, sacred places that are linked to the myths of the creation of Japan itself, and the mountain refuge of the Togakure Ninja. This engaging tour gives insight into the daily lives of the ninja, taking you along short sections of the pilgrimage trails of the ‘Togakushi Kodo,’ and deep into culture, myth, and legend. This tour includes a hands-on soba making experience, visits to two of the most important Shinto shrines, the Togakushi Ninja Museum, and ends with a stroll through the grand avenue of giant cedar trees.

Highlights

  • Participate first-hand in Togakushi’s renowned ‘soba’ (buckwheat noodles) making tradition at a renowned soba noodle restaurant, and eat your own noodles afterward!
  • Rediscover the legend of the ‘Togakure Ninja,’ traverse the puzzling Ninja Trick House, and have the opportunity to undergo various other ninja activities.
  • Walk sections of the ‘Togakushi Kodo’ pilgrimage trail through Togakushi’s iconic giant cedar avenue toward the hidden Okusha Shrine.

Want to join this tour from Tokyo? It’s easy to do! Scroll to the bottom for our FAQs including train services that can you use to join the tour!

Review

Description

Morning: Master the Art of Soba Making

Hand-roll your own lunch with Togakushi’s master artisans. Your journey begins at Nagano Station (09:35). Leaving the city behind, we wind into the cool, mountainous Shinshu Province. Togakushi is world-renowned for its buckwheat (soba), which thrives in the region's volcanic soil and pristine alpine water.

  • Hands-on Tradition: Under the guidance of local experts, you will knead, roll, and cut your own soba noodles from scratch.
  • The Reward: Sit down to enjoy the "edible art" you just created—a truly immersive way to taste the cultural identity of Nagano.
Guests enjoying their freshly hand-made soba in Togakushi, Nagano.

Midday: Shinto Myths & The Ninja Trick House

Explore the "Hidden Door" of Japan's creation legends. After lunch, we delve into the Togakushi Shinto complex. Your guide will share the 1,000-year history of the "Hidden Door" myth—where a celestial boulder cast by the gods created this dramatic landscape.

  • Ninja Espionage: Explore the 12th-century Togakure school of Ninja. This isn't a theme park; it's a historical mountain refuge.
  • The Trick House: Navigate a historic, escape-room-style maze of trapdoors and secret passages. If you escape in time, try your hand at shuriken (ninja star) throwing!
Have an immersive ninja experience in Togakushi at the various folk musuems.
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A view of the Togakushi Chusa through the cedar trees in Togakushi.

Afternoon: The Avenue of Giant Cedars

Walk the ancient pilgrimage trail to the hidden Okusha Shrine. The tour concludes with a breathtaking 45-minute trek along the "Togakushi Kodo." As you pass through the red Zushimon Gate, modern life disappears, replaced by an avenue of hundreds of giant cedar trees.

  • Spiritual Connection: Ascend the stone steps to the Okusha Shrine, the most secluded and sacred point in the forest.
  • Return Journey: We return through the cedar forest to our transport, arriving back at Nagano Station by 17:20.

Togakushi trail conditions and Ninja Museum seasonal hours last verified:

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Itinerary

9:35
The main meetup point is inside Nagano Station, in front of the large Information Board and city map directly across from the Shinkansen ticket gates. Guests will be greeted by their guide and they will depart together toward the soba restaurant in Togakushi.
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10:20
Arrive at the soba restaurant and start your soba making journey from scratch with the help of your guide and the museum's expert soba artisans.
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12:00
Enjoy the fruits of your labor with a handmade soba lunch inside of the museum's restaurant seating area!
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13:00
Depart for the Togakushi Ninja Museum, with a short stop at the Togakushi Chusha Shrine along the way. Once arrived at the ninja museum, your guide will accompany you to the ninja trick house to enjoy engaging and authentic puzzle-solving to escape the manor. Time permitting, you will have time to enjoy other aspects of the ninja museum during free time.
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14:45
Depart the ninja museum and begin your trek in the grand avenue of cedars toward the Zushimon gate and ascend the stone steps to Togakushi's Okusha Shrine. This walk will take approximately 45 minutes. We will have some free time at the shrine to give time for photos and the purchase of charms from the main shrine.
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15:45
Descend Okusha Shrine on a return 45 minute trip back through the avenue of giant cedars toward our transportation back to Nagano Station.
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16:30
Arrive at the bus, board, and depart toward Nagano Station.
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17:20
Tour concludes at Nagano Station
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Meetup Points

NAGANO STATION @ 09:35

This tour operates to and from Nagano Station. The meetup point is inside the station, in front of the Information Board directly across from the Shinkansen ticket gates. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag and ensure you are there prior to the meetup time as the tour will need to depart by 09:40.

Notes

Tour Availability Disclaimer

All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.

Included

  • Transportation fee from Nagano to Togakushi and between activities/attractions
  • Togakushi Ninja Museum inc. Ninja House entry fee
  • Soba noodle making experience at a renowned soba noodle restaurant
  • Lunch (including your own handmade noodles)
  • Guided tour at Togakushi Ninja Museum, various shrines throughout Togakushi, and guided soba making experience
  • English-speaking guide

Excluded

  • Additional food, snacks & drinks
  • Optional activity fees within the Togakushi Ninja Museum inc.
  • Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ tickets
  • Accommodation

Other Information

  • There will be a significant amount of walking required (2 km one way, 4 km total) from the Togakushi Ninja Museum inc. to the main Okusha Shrine at Togakushi, along a forest trail with a section of ascending stone steps, so please wear appropriate shoes/boots. Please check the weather forecast before you head to the meetup point and prepare an umbrella or rain coat if necessary.
  • This tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired travelers. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
  • This tour uses different forms of transport. Tours can be conducted by microbus, larger coach or train depending on the season and size of the group.
  • This tour includes lunch at a renowned soba restaurant. Each party will be asked to make their own soba noodles for their lunch. Each party will be given enough ingredients by the staff to make enough soba for their entire party. Willing party members will switch off creating the soba at various steps in the process. In the case of larger parties, the portions may be split up into multiple groups to conserve time.
  • Infants (0-5) are free of charge. An infant lunch is not included and the order will be made directly to the restaurant according to your needs. We also cannot guarantee that a seat on the tour transport will be available for infants and they may be required to sit in the lap of an adult, especially during winter i.e. from December to March.
  • Booking cut-off time is an hour before the pick up time on the day.

FAQs

I'd like to join this tour from Tokyo. Which Shinkansen / 'Bullet Train' service should I use to arrive in Nagano on time? What time do services depart for Tokyo after the tour?
The start and finish times of this tour are arranged according to the Shinkansen timetable. You can book the following services on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line when joining this tour at Nagano Station:

Departing Tokyo Station – Arriving Nagano Station
Tokyo: 07:20 – Nagano: 08:42 – Kagayaki – reserved seats only Tokyo: 07:24 – Nagano: 09:13 – Asama Tokyo: 07:52 – Nagano: 09:30 – Hakutaka*

*Nagano Station is a small station and our morning meet-up point is directly opposite the shinkansen/bullet train tickets gates at 09:35. Therefore you can take the 07:52 – 09:30 train service however please ensure you come straight to the meeting point after your train arrives.

Departing Nagano Station – Arriving Tokyo Station

Nagano: 17:56 – Tokyo: 19:20 – Kagayaki – reserved seats only Nagano: 18:23 – Tokyo: 20:00 – Hakutaka*

*In winter, we recommend that you book this service to return to Tokyo. While we expect to this tour to conclude at JR Nagano Station by 17:30 winter weather and roads conditions mean that we cannot guarantee it. To be safe, we recommend booking the 18:22 service.

Also, if you are staying in Myoko Kogen and would like to join the tour, you can take a train from Myoko Kogen Station and get to Nagano Station on time (830 JPY / one way).

Departing Myoko Kogen Station – Arriving Nagano Station

Myoko Kogen: 7:48 – Nagano: 8:32 Myoko Kogen: 8:39 – Nagano: 9:23

Departing Nagano Station – Arriving Myoko Kogen Station

Nagano: 18:14 – Myoko Kogen: 19:00
Can I add accommodation to my tour booking?
Yes. We can add accommodation in Nagano City, Yamanouchi/Snow Monkey area, the Togakushi area, and (in winter) also in the Hakuba village area. To do so, contact us at anytime to discuss options.
I have specific dietary requirements. Can these be catered for?
Yes. This tour typically uses various soba restaurant locations in the Togakushi area. These restaurants typically serve either soba or udon (which are not gluten-free) to vegetarian options. We would appreciate if you can let us know in advance by entering that information in the booking form. Please note that some dietary restrictions may require the restaurant to prepare a different lunch to the typical tour meal.
Is this tour wheelchair accessible or suitable for mobility-impaired guests?
Unfortunately, this tour is not wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for mobility-impaired guests. The tour requires a significant amount of walking – suitable for anyone of reasonable fitness – including a 2km/1.2-mile forest trail leading to and from the Okusha shrine. The trail is unsealed and in winter will be affected by snow and ice in winter, meaning that a wheelchair cannot move along it. There is also a relatively steep stone staircase at the end of the trail leading to the shrine. Guests who are mobility-impaired may also struggle with the conditions. Should you have any concerns about your ability to join the tour, please contact us prior to booking to discuss options.
What should I wear/bring?
Please wear clothing appropriate to the season in which you are taking the tour, and check the weather forecast ahead of time. Guests may wish to bring rain coats or umbrellas on rainy days, or sunscreen to avoid sunburn during the summer months. In the winter months, the air temperatures will be cold (5 to -5 ℃ on average), and so gloves, winter boots, warm hats, and hand warmers are recommended. Otherwise, please feel free to bring any other items, such as water or a snack, which you would normally carry when walking in the outdoors.

(Travel Agency License No: Nagano 2-562)
Snow Monkey Resorts Tours
2159 Kurita, Nagano City, Nagano, 380-0921 Japan
Tel: (+81)26-219-6272
Member of All Nippon Travel Agents Association
Travel Service Supervisor: Azusa Fukuhara