Nagano Photo Gallery - Togakushi

Legend has it that the goddess of the sun hid in a cave and sealed it with a rock. The world went dark and the other gods tried to get her out of the cave. It worked. She moved the rock to take a peek and the god of strength threw it away, bringing light back into the world. Mount Togakushi was believed to be where the rock landed.

There are 5 shrines along these slopes. From Nagano, it was a long 1.5 hour bus ride to the trail for the uppermost shrine, the Okusha, home of the god of strength. I decided to start at the top and head my way downhill.

I was a bit surprised that while the city was experiencing a warm spring day, there was a thick layer of snow at the temple's entrance. After using the facilities at the bus stop, I ventured onto the snow-covered path for the long walk in.

After a long and careful walk, I reached the Zuishinmon Gate, with plants growing on its roof where god and nature are one. It was a tiring walk despite it being a straight line because of the thick snow, and here, a sign warns travellers not to head further.

However, confident because I've dealt with snowy weather before, I thought I could handle it without proper boots and even gloves, so I continued on. The huge cedar trees from here on are stunning, with some 400 years old, and the snow cover seemed to be less bothersome initially.

The route was no longer flat but started to go uphill, and the snow cover got thicker once again. While it was fine to head up with thick steps to sink your feet into the snow, I started to worry how to come back down. I would need some ski poles for this stretch.

The final stretch was the most treacherous and steep, only to find out the temple was closed. The snow has covered much of it already!

Returning back to the bus stop would be the most difficult part of the hike. I had to lower myself and slide down multiple stretches of icy snow. This was the safest way as I could not balance myself to head down the slopes without ski poles.

Having safely returned from only one shrine out of 5 after an incredibly long journey, I found out I had just missed the infrequent bus heading downhill. While tired from trekking in the snow unequipped, it is now paved road, so instead of waiting an hour for the next bus, my walk continued.

Chusha Shrine is home to the god of wisdom, who devised the plan to lure the sun goddess out of her cave. Now, worshippers come to hope for academic and business success.

I exited the shrine through a long staircase and continued downhill. There is a small town here with a few restaurants where I picked one for a warm soba noodle late lunch.

A small drizzle started but from here on, it's an easy walk down a paved path to the Hinomikosha Shrine, home to the goddess of the arts who danced to lure the sun goddess out.

The Hokosha Shrine is the last one at the lowest elevation. Home to the god of learning and the arts, it is also the guardian of women and children. This was the only temple on this mountain where women were allowed to worship, and they came here to pray for safe child birth.