How to visit Togakushi Shrine in the Winter

Thinking about visiting Togakushi-Jinja from Nagano (or Tokyo) in the winter? I recently visited Togakushi-Jinja in the snow using public transportation, so you will find everything about logistics and what to expect for this day trip.

Nagano is one of the best winter destinations in Japan and it’s not hard to see why. If you enjoy snowy winter sceneries and soaking in hot springs, then you would love Nagano. While I was researching destinations for my Japan winter itinerary, I came across Togakushi-Jinja.

The photo I saw of Togakushi Shrine was literally just a red gate and a snow covered path lined with tall cedar trees. That one photo was so beautiful that it convinced me to make a whole trip there in the winter during my week in Japan.

I hit a roadblock when researching how to get to Togakushi-Jinja in the winter, since the bus route is not as straightforward. There was barely any detailed information in English on the web and I ended up researching on Chinese social media for more information. So I am here to share with you everything you’d need to know to visit Togakushi-Jinja in the winter, including bus schedules, what the walk is like, what you actually see, and packing list.

What is Togakushi-Jinja?

Togakushi-Jinja is a Japanese shinto shrine located at the foot of Mt. Togakushi. This shrine consists of 5 shrines on the slope of the mountain, with each of the 5 shrines warships one or more deities based on a Japanese religious myth.

From bottom to top:

• Hokosha (lower shrine)
• Hinomikosha
• Chusha (middle shrine)
• Kuzuryusha
• Okusha (upper shrine)

You can visit each of the shrines during your visit to Togakushi-Jinja, either from the top down or from bottom up (you will need to hike up). Most people take the bus all the way to the upper shrine then walk back down, then catch the bus from Hokosha (lower shrine) back to Nagano.

But if you are short on time or simply just want to visit the famous cedar tree path and Okusha (upper shrine) like I was, then you can just visit the middle and upper shrine and go back to Nagano. This is what most people do in the winter, but if you are visiting during non-winter months I would recommend seeing all the shrines.

Where is Togakushi Shrine?

Togakushi Jinja is located in the mountainous area north of Nagano (the city). If you were to drive from Nagano to Togakushi-Jinja, the distance is about 20-25 km (depending on the route) and takes about 30-40 minutes without traffic.

Public bus from Nagano to Togakushi Jinja takes about an hour as they make multiple stops along the way. In the winter (starting early December) the bus doesn’t reach all the way to the top temples at Togakushi Jinja due to snow on the road, so you will have to get off a couple of stops before the upper shrine.

If you were to drive your own car (or get a private transfer) in the winter, the private car can reach the upper shrine at Okusha as the road is open and there is a parking lot next to the entrance.

Logistics of visiting Togakushi-Jinja in the winter

While you can certainly visit Togakushi-Jinja any time of the year, this post will be dedicated to visiting in the winter since it’s more complex. This will also be focused on visiting Togakushi-Jinja in the winter with public transportation, since with a private car (or taxi) you can go directly to Okusha, taking out the complexity of having to walk.

Take bus 70 from Nagano Station to Togakushi Shrine

Assuming you are traveling from Nagano like I did, you will need to take bus 70 (owned by Alpico) from Bus Stop 7 at Nagano Station.

The Alpico office and the bus stop 7 is located across the street from Nagano Station; it is not with the rest of the bus stops in front of the station. If you just search for bus stop 7 you will see it across the street from all the other bus stops.

Bus 70 Winter Schedule from Nagano Station

Bus 70 has a modified schedule in the winter as it does not stop at some of the stops near Togakushi-Jinja. It also has different times on the weekdays versus the weekends.

You can find the bus schedule here for all seasons and for weekdays and weekends. The “winter season” is from mid December to the end of March. Essentially the earliest bus leaving from Nagano Station is at 7am, then there is one bus every hour.

There is also one bus coming back to Nagano every hour, starting at 6:42am, with the last bus leaving Togakushi-Jinja at 5:20pm.

In the winter, the bus stops at Togakushi Chusha Daimon (the middle shrine’s gate) and it takes about an hour and 4 minutes to get there from Nagano Station.

Paying for Bus 70 from Nagano to Togakushi Chusha

There are 2 ways to pay for bus 70:

• Purchasing a round trip ticket from the Kiosk at the Alpico office next to Bus Stop 7
• Paying cash onboard (when you get off the bus)

The Alpico bus office opens at 6:20am in the morning and there is a kiosk you can use to purchase same-day round trip bus tickets. You just need to buy 2 tickets (even though both tickets will say Nagano to Togakushi Chusha in Japanese). Each way costs 1350 Yen, and you can pay for both ways together with a credit card.

If you don’t have time to buy tickets at the kiosk, that’s ok, you can just pay with cash on the bus. When you get on the bus from the back door (you cannot get on from the front), you have to take a little ticket that has a number on it. The number indicates which station you got on from.

As you ride the bus, there is a screen at the front of the bus with the different station numbers and the cost under each number. For example, if your ticket says 1, by the time you get to Togakushi Chusha it will have a 1350 under no.1 (but maybe only a 120 under no. 14).

When you get off the bus, show the bus driver your small ticket with the number, and put the exact change into the fare box. There are machines next to the fare box that will give you change so you can get the exact changes first before you put anything in the fare box. You can look at this illustration, even though it’s not for the same bus, but it works the same.

Keep in mind that you have to line up for the bus 10-15 minutes before departure time, or you risk not having a seat on the bus or not getting on.

I took the 7am bus from Nagano Station and there were people on the bus that didn’t have a seat; they ended up having to stand an entire ride to Togakushi Chusha. I read on Chinese social media that the day before (Saturday), the 9:40am bus was so full that people couldn’t even get on, so they had to wait an hour for the 10:40am bus.

Hiking to Upper Togakushi Shrine from Chusha Daimon

Once you get off the bus at Togakushi Chusha (also known as Chusha Daimon), you will be right next to the torii gate of Chusha (middle shrine). The bus stop is right in front of the tourist information office as well as a couple of vending machines. Remember this location as you will be getting on the bus back to Nagano just from across the street.

The tourist information office wasn’t open when I got there around 8am, but it usually opens around 9am. If you don’t have snow boots then you can rent heavy duty boots from here (they only accept cash). They can also give you information on the hike or you can just chill here for some warmth.

From Chusha you will need to walk on the main road (where cars drive on) to Okusha (including the red gate and the cedar trees). The walk consists of the following:

• Chusha to Okusha parking lot and torii gate: 30 minutes uphill
• Okusha torii gate to red gate (Zuishinmon): 20 minutes flat
• Zushinmon to actual temple: 20-30 minutes uphill including steps

I would highly suggest downloading an offline map on Google map so you can navigate the walk (although there is good cellular signal there). I made the mistake of not looking at the map and just blindly following someone and ended up walking to the ski resort on the wrong way. Fortunately we eventually made it to Okusha but it added an extra 30 minutes of walking in heavy snow.

The screenshot below shows the correct way of walking from Chusha to Okusha, it literally is just on the main road! However, from this experience, I can also tell you that if you take the bus to the Togakushi Ski Resort you can still walk to Okusha, but that is not the official recommended way.

Chusha to Okusha Walk (30 minutes)

This portion of the walk will be on an actual road with cars going both directions. There is really not much to see here, and I would suggest that you walk on the side to avoid cars. In general I found cars were courteous and would avoid you, but you should always be careful, especially walking with the car driving up behind you.

This walk is not too bad in terms of snow since the road is regularly plowed so there isn’t deep snow and any water proof shoes will do. Do keep in mind that there is a constant mild uphill.

Okusha Torii Gate to Zuishinmon (20 minutes)

Once you reach the a large parking lot on the left side as well as a soba restaurant (that sells soba ice cream), you would’ve arrived at the Okusha Torii gate. The Okusha torii gate itself is unremarkable and you can simply turn left to start the second part of the hike.

The path between the torii gate and the red Zuishinmon is narrow, with knee deep snow. But even if you take the first bus of the day, you will find that the actual walking path has already been “plowed”, so you don’t have to walk in knee deep snow.

However, I do think you need snow boots (or those knee high rental boots) as this part is narrow, so if anyone comes the opposite direction, you will need to step aside into the snow to make room for them.

This part is relatively flat and lasts about 20 minutes. Again, not too much to see here except trees on both sides. Another thing I want to mention is that if you visit on a windy day (or during a snowstorm like I did), you should bring an umbrella as snow does fall from the trees and can hit you pretty hard!

Once you walk past the red Zuishinmon, you will see the tall cedar trees.

Zuishinmon to Okusha (20-30 minutes)

If you want to take the famous photo of Togakushi Shrine, you can pretty much stop right here.

But if you want to go to the actual shrine and pray, then you will have to keep hiking up for another 20-30 minutes. I have to admit I didn’t go all the way, as the road was narrow with the heavy snow and it was entirely uphill. I did hear from other travelers coming down that the stairs to Okusha were fully covered in snow, so you can’t even tell where the steps are.

After you finish your visit, you will have to walk the same way back. Depending on what time you visit, you can eat the famous soba noodles at one of the restaurants near Okusha or near Chusha.

I went to Okusha no Chaya right next to Okusha torii gate and got their soba soft serve ice cream. The ice cream was surprisingly good and did not taste like soba noodles. If you visit during lunch time, you will have to eat the ice cream in the little waiting area outside of the main restaurant. The main restaurant is only reserved for lunches.

There is also a public bathroom (with heaters) next to the restaurant. This was the only public bathroom I saw on the hike after Chusha.

As you walk back down to Chusha, you will see another restaurant called Sobanomi. There are other soba restaurants near Chusha, such as Uzuraya, Yutakaya and 蕎麦 二葉屋 葉隠. If you don’t feel like eating but only want some drinks, there are 2 vending machines next to the Chusha tourist information center.

When you are ready to take the bus back, be sure to cross the street near the Chusha torii gates and wait in line for the bus.

What gears you need to visit Togakushi-Jinja in the winter

At a minimum, you will need snow boots (or waterproof hiking boots), a warm winter coat, gloves, and some water and snacks.

When I visited during a snowstorm, I also brought an umbrella, and it helped to protect me from the wind and falling snow.

Even though it’s snowy, it is actually not very cold, especially when you are exerting yourself moving around. I ended up getting too hot half way through the hike and had to start taking off my scarf. For reference, here is what I wore on the hike:

• Uniqlo heattech shirt
• A sweater
• Uniqlo winter parka with a hood
• 2 layers of pants
• UGGs Adirondack Boots
• Gloves
• Scarf
• Clear umbrella

Other Q&A for visiting Togakushi Jinja in the winter

When does it start snowing in Togakushi-Jinja?

Every winter is different so this is just general information I observed this year. Since I tracked any social media posting on Togakushi-Jinja for this trip, I noticed that it started snowing in late November in Togakushi-Jinja. So if you are visiting from mid December to mid March there is a fairly good chance that there will be snow. If you are visiting early December there might be snow, but again, it depends on the year.

Can you visit Togakushi-Jinja when it snows?

Yes you totally can! I visited when the weather forecast reported a heavy snow storm. While it was not the most pleasant experience, it was still manageable. Unless it’s an actual blizzard with poor visibility and strong wind, I think it’s totally ok to visit Togakushi Jinja in the snow.

Can you drive to Togakushi Jinja in the winter?

It is probably more convenient to drive to Togakushi Jinja than having to rely on a bus schedule. When I visited I saw people driving up to Okusha parking lot next to the torii gates, saving themselves a good hour from walking.

In addition, many people get taxis directly from Nagano station to Okusha. I saw many taxis dropping people off at the Okusha torii gate.

Is it safe to visit Togakushi Jinja alone?

Yes, especially if it’s earlier in the day. I actually went to Togakushi Jinja alone, on the 7am bus. There were so many people on the bus, you could just easily follow them after getting off the bus. But like I said earlier, be sure to have an offline Google map for that area, so you can navigate to make sure you are walking the right way.

Can you do a day trip to Togakushi Jinja from Tokyo?

Togakushi Jinja can be done as a day trip from Tokyo, but it will be a fairly long day. The good news is that Tokyo is not too far away from Nagano by Shinkansen, so you can get to Nagano fairly early. The bad news is that you will be spending most of your day on buses and trains.

Here is what I would recommend in terms of itinerary from Tokyo:

• 7:28am Shinkansen (on Kagayaki) from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station (keep in mind that you need reservation on the Kagayaki Shinkansen, as there is no non-reserved seats available on that particular train)
• Arrive at Nagano Station at 8:58am
• Take the 9:40am bus 70 from Nagano to Togakushi Chusha (be sure to line up 15 minutes before the departure time to ensure you get a seat)
• Arrive at Chusha Daimon at 10:44am
• Spend 3-4 hours at Togakushi Jinja + lunch
• Take the 2:30pm or 3:20pm bus from Togakushi Chusha back to Nagano Station
• Take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo (there are so many of them from Nagano to Tokyo, so I wouldn’t worry about catching a specific one)

In case you are not familiar with the Shinkansen, the Kagayaki Shinkansen is all reserved seats. If you take the Asama Shinkansen or Hokuriku Shinkansen there are cars with non-reserved seats (usually cars 1-4 or 1-3).

Can you visit Togakushi Jinja and the Snow Monkeys on the same day?

Yes, you can visit both the snow monkeys and Togakushi Jinja on the same day from Nagano. Again, this will be a super long day but this is actually what I had planned on doing.

In order to visit them both on the same day, you will need to do the following:

• Catch the 7am bus to Togakushi Jinja from Nagano Station
• Catch either the 10:20am or 11:30am back from Togakushi Jinja back to Nagano Station
• Take the 12:20pm or 1:10pm bus from Nagano Station to the snow monkey park
• Take the 4:40pm or 5:05pm bus back to Nagano station

I didn’t end up visiting both because I went the wrong way while visiting Togakushi Jinja, resulting in me not being able to make the 11:30am bus back to Nagano Station. I also didn’t feel like walking another extra 2 hours to see the snow monkeys in the snow again.