Togakushi Folk Museum & Ninja House

Nagano Region


Above the Okusha bus stop you'll find this museum housing artefacts from a time when local yamabushi (mountain monks) practised what became known as ninpo (the art of stealth). The Ninja House is the most fun, cleverly concocted with trick doors, hidden staircases and a room that slopes upwards.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nagano Region attractions

1. Togakushi-jinja

0.99 MILES

Comprising three sub-shrines, Togakushi-Hōkōsha, Togakushi-Chūsha and Togakushi-Okusha, each a few kilometres apart, Togakushi-jinja honours the 1911m…

2. Togakushi-Chūsha

1 MILES

One of the three sub-shrines of Togakushi-jinja, intimate Chūsha, meaning 'middle shrine', is the most accessible, located prominently in the centre of…

3. Togakushi-Okusha

1.17 MILES

From Okusha bus stop it's 2km (40 minutes' walk) to Okusha (meaning 'Upper Shrine') – the innermost of the three sub-shrines making up Togakushi-jinja –…

4. Togakushi-Hōkōsha

1.68 MILES

Although it's nestled among cedars apparently close to the village, Hōkōsha, the pretty lower sub-shrine of Togakushi-jinja, is reached via 274 ancient,…

5. Zenkō-ji

8.84 MILES

Founded in the 7th century, National Treasure Zenkō-ji is home to the revered statue Ikkō-Sanzon, said to be the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan …

6. Japanese Lamp & Lighting Museum

13.66 MILES

Showcasing lighting through Japanese history, including oil lamps and lanterns, this neat museum will flip the switches of design aficionados.

7. Takai Kōzan Kinenkan

13.78 MILES

Takai Kōzan, woodblock artist Hokusai's friend and patron, was a businessman and an accomplished classical artist specialising in elegant Chinese-style…

8. Hokusai Museum

13.81 MILES

Japan's most famous ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist, Hokusai, spent his final years in Obuse. There's an audiovisual presentation on his life in the…