The Anthill Crossing below Mt. Togakushi
Yo!
What's up, peoples? Caveman here with a report on a mysterious, ninjarrific Japanese Mountain, Mt. Togakushi in Nagano.
This was an unusual hike for the Caveman because he did it with other people. If you read this blog, you know the Caveman doesn't usually hike with other people. It's not that the Caveman is anti-social, he just doesn't like people. Actually, I do like people. That's why I discourage people from hiking with me. When I go hiking with people, I lose friends. They say odd things like, "Can we take a break?" "Do we really need to go to that peak up there, too?" "Let's stop and brew a cup of coffee." (That's what thermoses are for. Brew it at home.)
Just kidding. A little. Seriously, if you've asked me to go hiking and feel like I've ghosted you, don't feel bad. It's not you . . .
Anyway, right at the beginning of this trek, I made the acquaintance of two guys, Taisei and Maxime and we made most of the journey together. To tell the truth, even though I really do prefer to go solo most of the time, I was grateful to not be doing this one alone. Togakushi has some pretty hairy spots and I was happy to think that someone would be nearby to call the rescue teams is I fell off a cliff! Those two guys were really good companions. It was fun chatting with them and they kept up a good pace.
. . . about Mt. Togakushi (戸隠山)
Listed as one of Japan's 200 Famous Mountains, Togakushi is not very high or prominent but it is exciting. It's not for the faint of heart. The name combines the characters for "door" and "hide." It's origin has something to do with Japan's creation myth. Whatever the origin, I like the images it conjures up. What's hiding behind the door?
Speaking of hiding, this area is home to the Togakure school of ninjas, which claims to be the origin of ninjas. Actually, not far from the trailhead is a very cool ninja museum.
It's worth a visit if you can check it out. Mrs. Caveman and I have been there. It's a hoot.
The Togakushi area is famous for soba, too. Don't tell your Japanese friends you went to Togakushi if you haven't brought them back some soba as a souvenir!
Area:
Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map.
Starting and stopping point:
Takatsuma Trailhead Parking Lot 高妻登山者用無料駐車場
Peaks bagged: Happounirami 八方睨山 ~ Togakushi 戸隠山 ~ Kuzuryuu 九頭龍山
(First-time) peaks # 1,048~1,050
Getting there/getting around:
Free parking at the Takatsuma Trailhead Parking Lot (See the link above)
From Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano and then change to a shuttle bus. These two links should help.
Helpful Info
Weather Information:
Weather Report in JapaneseTime and distance
YAMAP's Estimate Time: 6:33 Distance: 10.5 km
The Caveman did it in Total Time: 5:42 Break time: 1:27 Distance: 11.2 km
Elevation: Lowest: 1,169 m Highest: 1,904 m Total Ascent: 997 m Total Descent: 997 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Don't do this if you are afraid of heights and are not in good shape. You don't need to bring ropes or harnesses but much of this "hike" is over boulders and knife-ridges with very steep drop-offs. Upper-body strength is necessary to pull yourself up nearly sheer rock faces using the chains provided.
Of special note are a small shrine, and the 蟻の塔渡 (Arinotowatari--"Anthill Crossing"). I think the shrine is called the 百間長屋 (Hyakkennagaya). See the pictures and explanations below.
Facilities:
The last public toilet on the way up is at the shrine.
There is an emergency hut 一不動避難小屋 Ichifudohinangoya with a toilet booth on the latter portion of this hike. The toilet is just for privacy. You must use bring your own portable toilet.
There is a water hole below the Ichifudohinangoya. The trail descending from the emergency hut toward the Togakushi Bokujo/Campground eventually turns into a stream and that water is potable.
The Togakushi Bokujo/Campground has a few restaurants and coin showers.
It's a nice campground, by the way. Mrs. Caveman and I have stayed there twice.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
helmet, gloves, a friend
Here's a longer video with the spicier parts.
Let's look at some pictures:
Just before the shrine
The gate at the shrine
The trailhead is here
This is the 百間長屋 (Hyakkennagaya) Shrine.
I'm not sure that is what it is called, but that little hole at the top of the chain is a shrine. Taisei, Maxime and I climbed up the chain. It was quite spicy.
Don't go there if you suffer from vertigo.🤣
The Caveman going up
The view from inside that shrine.
The wall at the back of the shrine.
Taisei going down
Looking down from Happounirami
Oh deer!
The top of Togakushi with Mt. Takatsuma in the background.
It took be three tries to summit Mt. Takatsuma in 2023. Twice, Mrs. Caveman and I stayed at the Togakushi Bokujo Campground so I could hike it. The first time I got turned back by awful rain. The next weekend, I got a terrific headache and gave up. The third weekend, I went back and did it in a one-day trip. After being there so many times, I realize that I could do Togakushi and Takatsuma in one day.
This it the Ichifudo Refuge Hut. There is a toilet booth beside it. Provide your own portable toilet.
They really don't want you to stay here unless you are in distress. The word on the street is that they are mad at people just using this as crash pad without needing it.
The Ichifudo Refuge Hut marks the point to turn off this trail and descend toward the campground and parking lot. The trail below there follows, and even goes through, a stream most of the way.
Kori= Ice Shimizu= Pure Water
This is a desgnated waterhole.
This is looking back at the trail I'd just come down.
If you ever are in this area, keep an eye out for monkeys in the field to your east. I saw one on this particular day but last time I was here, I saw 20~30 of them!
The farm has horses, goats, a petting zoo . . . and it's all right next to the campground. Great family fun.
As a bit of an epilogue, I'll let you in on a secret. I discovered a swimming hole.
Just down the street from the Takatsuma Parking Lot is a parking lot with a trailhead for Mt. Kurohime. (The parking lot next to a dam.)
Walk up this road a bit and there is a trail on your left to a river.
I made use of it on this day because I had to go pick Mrs. Caveman up and there was no onsen between me and her. The Caveman is too civilized to meet his woman smelling like a caveman after all.
This felt like the coldest water I'd ever been in.
Then, what could have been a disaster struck! I lost my balance and my keys 🔑slipped out of my open pocket. 😱 I didn't see them fall. I just heard them bounce off a rock. I had no idea where they were. For all I knew, they were washed away in the swift current!
Thankfully, I was able to discover them in the water after just a few minutes. Hooray!
Final Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I am, as usual, so glad I did this hike. TBH, I approached it with a bit of trepidation because there are some fairly dangerous* exciting sections of this hike. *(Mrs. Caveman might read this, so I am being careful in my choice of words. Parentheses is the written form of inner dialogue, right? Nobody reads what's inside parentheses after all.)
I went with the willingness to turn back if things seemed dangerous or above my skill level. I have turned back a few times before. I often remind myself that the goal isn't the top of the mountain🏔. The goal 🥅 is the parking lot at the end of the day.
Anyway, as usual when I set aside discouraging thoughts about a hike and just do it, it turned that I was happy I did. Yes, a few parts of this trek were a bit nerve-wracking, but that made the views prettier and the sense of accomplishment better. I enjoyed this hike so much that I even bought some swag at the end. Usually I only buy swag after hiking one of the 100 Famous Mountains. I got a really cool 手拭い (tenugui--cotton hand towel).
Despite the excitement, since it's not a long hike, it is not that tiring.
If you can get here early and have the time for a long hike, I would hike both Togakushi and Takatsuma. If you can spend two days, I would recommend doing one of each on separate days and staying at the Togakishi Bokujo Campground.
Heck, if you have many days, you could also hike Kurohime from the campground.
Interested in other mountains in the area? Check out
or
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Caveman out.
