High in the mountains of Nagano, a narrow road winds toward a forest where time feels slower.

The air is cool and smells faintly of cedar and rain.

Somewhere beyond the trees lies Togakushi Okusha, a hidden shrine that has drawn pilgrims and travelers for centuries.

The approach is long and quiet, and the deeper you walk, the more the outside world seems to fade away.

We visited this sacred place on a recent research trip to Japan. Let us tell you all about it.

In our latest giveaway, our Premium readers are entered to win a prepaid Visa for the amount of $200. The winner will be chosen next Wednesday, October 22nd.

The walk to Togakushi Okusha begins at a small torii gate near the main entrance and stretches for about two kilometers.

The first half of the path winds through quiet forest and open clearings until you reach the giant red torii gate, its roof draped with ferns and moss.

It marks the threshold between the ordinary and the sacred.

Beyond it, the cedar-lined avenue begins, where towering trees, some believed to be 800 years old, rise straight and tall on both sides.

Their scale is difficult to capture.

At the top of the path, the forest opens to reveal the vermilion gate of Togakushi Okusha, the Upper Shrine.

It stands at the base of Mount Togakushi, one of five shrines that form the larger Togakushi complex.

According to Shinto legend, when the sun goddess Amaterasu hid herself in a cave, plunging the world into darkness, the gods forced open the cave door to let light return.

That stone door, legend says, flew through the sky and landed here.

The name Togakushi means “hidden door,” a reference to that myth.

The shrine is simple in form, its wooden walls weathered by rain and age.

Offerings of coins and folded paper line the altar, and the mountain rises behind it, often wrapped in mist.

Below the shrine, the village of Togakushi is famous across Japan for its soba noodles.

Buckwheat grown in these cool highlands makes noodles that are firm and aromatic, served with dipping sauce or in steaming broth.

For centuries, pilgrims ended their climb with a meal of soba, and that tradition continues today.

Family-run shops still grind their own buckwheat and serve it with mountain vegetables and tempura.

The blend of sacred mountain and simple food gives Togakushi its character.

It is both a place of worship and quiet rural life.

Togakushi is also linked to one of Japan’s oldest ninja traditions.

The Togakure school of ninjutsu is said to have originated here in the 12th century, using the mountain’s dense forests and remote valleys for training.

Students practiced stealth, climbing, and endurance, learning to survive in demanding terrain.

Visitors today can explore this history at the Togakushi Ninja Museum and the nearby children’s ninja village.

Exhibits and obstacle courses share the story of the region’s shadow warriors and the philosophy behind their craft.

Until next time,

Emails From Afar Team

While this newsletter brings you the magic, the strange, and the downright odd by email, Letters From Afar takes it a step further—with real letters sent through the mail.

Our snail mail subscription whisks you away to the world’s most exciting destinations, one handwritten letter at a time.

Written from the perspective of an explorer from the past, each letter invites you to journey to distant lands through the most old-world form of communication: a letter delivered to your door.