Tonogake Shrine Middle Shrine

Togakushi Shrine is a shrine with a history of more than 2,000 years. From the top of the mountain to the bottom, there are five shrines: Oku-sha, Kuzuryu-sha, Naka-sha, Hinomiko-sha and Hoko-sha. They are a bit far apart, but you can walk to all of them. It just takes a long time to walk through all five shrines, so we only arranged to visit Oku-sha, Kuzuryu-sha and Naka-sha. Nakasha is the most convenient of all the shrines to reach. It is located in the busiest central area of ​​Togakushi. Nakasha has two entrances with large torii gates. The main entrance is the 11-meter-high large torii square at the turn on the road. There is a bus stop next to the square, which is very convenient for tourists to take the bus. Across the square is the Togakushi Tourist Information Center. There are shops and many soba restaurants next to it. I read some articles online that said this huge torii gate was not built with nails but was made up of structural components of different shapes. The two stones called Kutsu-ishi at the foundation of the Torii are not connected by anything. I really admire the Japanese traditional construction methods! Climb up the stairs from the big torii and you can see the natural monument "Sanbonsugi" and then you will reach the shrine⛩️. Another option is to drive up the mountain along the road. There is a free parking lot at the west entrance to the shrine. After parking your car, you can slowly walk into the shrine without having to climb stairs. If you walk from Aoshe to Zhongshe, it is about 4km and 70mins. If you walk from Hinomikosha Shrine for about 15 minutes, you can reach Nakasha Shrine. There are three cedar trees over 800 years old in Togakushi Central Shrine and the "Ryu no Tenkai Painting" in the main hall of the shrine, which are both worth seeing. It’s a pity that I didn’t take a picture of the dragon’s patio painting! Suddenly I think it is recommended to visit the shrine early in the morning or in the evening, there are really fewer people! #Japan #Nagano #Hakuba #Togakushi #Togakushi Shrine Okusha #Togakushi Shrine Nakasha #Sanbonsugi #Otorii Gate #Five Shrines #Dragon's Sky Painting #Main Hall