1-Day Togakushi Tour: Soba making, Ninjas, and Hidden Shrines
- 8h 15m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Escape to the Mountains: Ninja, Soba & Sacred Cedars Step into the pristine forests of Togakushi, where Japan’s creation myths and ninja secrets come to life. This year-round adventure from Nagano blends hands-on tradition with ancient spirituality. Tour Highlights: Master the Soba Blade: Don’t just eat lunch—make it. Knead, roll, and hand-cut Togakushi’s world-famous buckwheat noodles from scratch alongside local experts. The Path of the Ninja: Delve into the legacy of the Togakure clan. In warmer months, navigate the trapdoors of the Ninja Trick House. In winter, strap on traditional kanjiki (ninja snowshoes) to float over deep mountain powder. The Giant Cedar Avenue: Pass through the red Zuishinmon Gate into a breathtaking cathedral of 400-year-old cedars. Depending on the season, hike to the hidden Okusha Shrine or enjoy an exclusive winter snowshoe trek among the snow-laden giants. Perfect for Tokyo Day-Trippers! Easy access via Shinkansen.
Inclusions
What's included
- Guided tour at all listed attractions
- Entry ticket to the Togakushi Ninja Museum (Green Season)
- Transportation fee from Nagano to Togakushi and between activities/attractions
- Kanjiki traditional snowshoe rental (Winter Season)
- English-speaking guide
- including your own handmade noodles
What's not
- Shinkansen/Bullet Train ticket
- Accommodation
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
Itinerary
Start your soba making journey from scratch with the help of your guide and the museum's expert soba artisans. Enjoy the fruits of your labor with a handmade soba lunch inside of the museum's restaurant seating area!
Depart for the Togakushi Ninja Museum, with a short stop at the Togakushi Chusha Shrine along the way.
(Green Season ONLY) 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.
Immerse yourself in the spiritual heart of Togakushi, where Shinto creation myths and towering nature converge. Your experience at this sacred site adapts to the season: Green Season (Mid-April to Mid-Nov): Walk the ancient "Togakushi Kodo" pilgrimage trail. Pass through the striking red Zuishinmon Gate and hike a breathtaking avenue of 400-year-old giant cedars, culminating in a stone-step ascent to the secluded Okusha Shrine. Winter Season (Mid-Nov to Mid-April): When heavy snows make the upper shrine inaccessible, the adventure transforms. Strap on traditional wakanjiki (ninja snowshoes) to confidently bypass winter barriers. Float over deep mountain powder to reach the Zuishinmon Gate and enjoy an exclusive, crowd-free snowshoe trek directly into the hushed, snow-laden cathedral of giant cedars. (Note: During the winter season, the trek focuses on the spectacular cedar avenue, as the Okusha Shrine building itself is closed due to deep snow).
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 520
- 40
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- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 20 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- 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.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 20 travellers
- Operated by
- Snow Monkey Resorts Tours (Machinovate Japan Ltd.)
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour has a minimum of 2 guests to operate
- Physical Requirements: This tour involves approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) of walking along forest trails. In the Green Season, this includes a section of ascending stone steps. In the Winter Season, you will be trekking through deep snow.
- 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.
How it compares in Nagano
- Its from-price is close to the median of the 179 experiences we list in Nagano.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 29 of 179.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Nagano
Nagano is a mountain city in central Japan, centred on the old Zenko-ji temple and ringed by ski slopes, hot springs and alpine valleys.
Nagano sits in a basin among the mountains of central Honshu, and Zenko-ji, a temple traditionally founded in the seventh century, is the heart of the city. Pilgrims have come to it for more than a thousand years, up a long approach lined with shops and lodgings to a great wooden hall. The city hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998.
Top-ranked sights in Nagano: Jigokudani Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen-Koen), Zenkoji Temple, Yudanaka Onsen.
Special offers in Nagano
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
