Togakushi Tour: Experience Soba Making, Explore Ninja Town and Visit Hidden Shrines

Discover the secrets of Togakushi on this engaging tour. Experience the art of soba making, explore the Ninja Town, and visit hidden shrines. Unravel the myths and legends of Japan’s sacred places.

Duration: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Tonkururin - Start your soba-making adventure from scratch with guidance from your instructor and the museum’s skilled soba artisans.

Relish the results of your efforts with a handmade soba lunch in the museum’s restaurant seating area!

  • Togakushi Shrine Chusha - Head to the Togakushi Ninja Museum, making a brief stop at the Togakushi Chusha Shrine along the way.
  • Togakushi Folk Museum Togakushi Ninja Museum - Upon arrival at the ninja museum, your guide will lead you to the ninja trick house for an engaging and authentic puzzle-solving experience to escape the manor. If time allows, you can explore other parts of the ninja museum during your free time.
  • Togakushi Shrine Okusha - From the Ninja Museum, walk with your guide toward the ‘Okusha’ (Upper Shrine) through the ‘Zuishimon’ Gate and along the majestic cedar avenue. This stunning landscape serves as an ideal endpoint for the tour. The walk to and from the gate takes about 25-30 minutes round trip. Please note, due to time constraints and the difficulty of the walk, we will not go all the way to the Upper Shrine.
What's Included
  • Guided tour at all listed attractions
  • Transportation fee from Nagano to Togakushi and between activities/attractions
  • Entry ticket to the Togakushi Ninja Museum
  • English-speaking guide
  • Lunch
What's Not Included
  • Shinkansen/Bullet Train ticket
  • Accommodation
  • Additional food, snacks & drinks
Additional Information

Positioned on the outskirts of Nagano City, the Togakushi woods house some of the most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan, associated with the country’s creation myths and the mountain hideaway of the Togakure Ninja. This intriguing journey provides a glimpse into the everyday life of a ninja, guiding you along short parts of the ‘Togakushi Kodo’ pilgrimage trails, and delving into the rich tapestry of culture, mythology, and folklore. The tour incorporates a practical soba noodle assembly demonstration, visits to two key Shinto shrines, the Togakushi Ninja Museum, and concludes with a leisurely walk down the majestic pathway lined with towering cedar trees.

  • This tour has a minimum of 2 guests to operate
  • This tour includes a significant amount of walking, often along forest trails. While paths are well-maintained, the ground is uneven in places and requires a reasonable level of fitness to partake. The itinerary is designed to breakup periods of walking into 30-minute blocks. Please ensure you wear good quality shoes or boots.
  • This tour is well-suited to children but they will need to be able to walk or be carried for up to 30-minutes at a time.
  • This tour spends a considerable period of time outside. Weather conditions in Togakushi are often notably cooler than Nagano City, even in summer. Please also ensure you wear suitable clothing for the season and bring a waterproof jacket and/or umbrella as weather conditions can change quickly.
  • This tour includes a ‘soba’ (buckwheat) noodle lunch in Togakushi village. If you have any dietary requirements please let us know at time of booking.
  • 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.
  • Due to the amount of walking, this tour is not suitable for guests who are mobility impaired
Location
Nagano Station
The meetup point is inside Nagano Station. Your guide will wait for you infront of the large Information Board and video montiors, directly across from the Shinkansen/Bullet Train ticket gates. They will be wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag. The meetup time is 09:15.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
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Cameronr309
Aug 6, 2023
Nagano Togakushi shrines and Soba noodle making - The TogakushiTour was really good, Kevin let us know from the get go this was the first Togakushi Tour but he was so informative that it seemed like he had done this heaps of times before. It is a winding road out of Nagano but it was nice to get up into the mountains a little so it was much cooler. Kevin laid out what we would be doing for the day let us know at each stop what to expect. It was fasinating to see these shrines built in places that would have made them difficult to build at the time. The settings were were very picturesque and the walk to the furtherest shrine through the Cedar Avenue lined by Cedar trees that were hundreds of years old was amazing. The Soba noodle making was simply the best. The girl that helped us was so helpful and Kevin did a great job as photographer for us, we have so many wonderful photos. The Ninja house was also great fun and there was an interesting farm museum as well. All in all a great tour and highly recommend. Cameron & Mandy
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frank
Dec 29, 2016
My wife and I and our 12 year-old... - <p>My wife and I and our 12 year-old granddaughter really enjoyed the nature hike and Ninja tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and helpful. We learned a lot about Shintoism and the various types of plants in the park. The tall trees were amazing, and the soba noodle lunch delicious. At the end of the tour, our guide was very kind to escort us back to our hotel so that we could rush to catch our train to Tokyo.</p>
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
September 2024
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