A Slow Pilgrimage to a Sacred Mountain | Togakushi, Nagano — Hidden Japan in Autumn

This time, we headed to Togakushi in autumn, just as the leaves were beginning to turn! Walking the Togakushi Kodo Trail, we visited Kotori-ga-ike Pond, Suzuri-ishi (the Inkstone Rock), and Kagami Pond, which mirrors the Togakushi mountains, while paying our respects at all five shrines of Togakushi Shrine: Okusha, Kuzuryusha, Chusha, Hokosha, and Hinomikosha ⛩️ For lunch, we enjoyed a buckwheat galette overlooking Kagami Pond. At night, we stayed at a shukubo (pilgrims' lodge) run by a family of Shinto priests, where we were served sacred sake and Togakushi soba. Join us on a two-day autumn journey to meet the gods of Japanese mythology. 📕 Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:45 About Togakushi 2:26 Heading to Togakushi 3:38 Kotori-ga-ike Pond 7:28 Kagami Pond 8:51 Kagamiike Donguri House 12:47 Zuishinmon Gate, Okusha Shrine 15:06 Okusha Shrine & Kuzuryusha Shrine 17:14 Chusha Shrine 19:37 Shukubo Oyado Suwa 26:47 Hokosha Shrine 31:43 Hinomikosha Shrine 33:07 Soba Restaurant Tsuruya 35:08 Access to Togakushi 📍 Places Visited ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Kotori-ga-ike Pond https://maps.app.goo.gl/FzHTp55KJTdBZ... Suzuri-ishi (Inkstone Rock) https://maps.app.goo.gl/PRxweNvGSQRWm... Kagami Pond https://maps.app.goo.gl/h23cdibzrTkFS... Kagamiike Donguri House https://maps.app.goo.gl/q372xQBD97C95... Zuishinmon Gate, Okusha Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/edsNvxoBJWf6i... Okusha Shrine, Togakushi Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/CZXTGxh7t8zAA... Kuzuryusha Shrine, Togakushi Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/xpALV36gxd463... Chusha Shrine, Togakushi Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/rZepu8iQZ2sFW... Hokosha Shrine, Togakushi Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/L7eURzaCrabdo... Hinomikosha Shrine, Togakushi Shrine https://maps.app.goo.gl/cUfzkm61Xkfa3... Soba Restaurant Tsuruya https://maps.app.goo.gl/mWMoFgMvwkDTn... ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 🏨 Togakushi Shrine Shukubo Oyado Suwa https://enmeiin-suwa.com/ #Togakushi #TogakushiShrine #TogakushiKodo #KagamiPond #Nagano #JapanTravel #JapanAutumn