Togakushi Ninja Village: We Enjoyed Attractions in Nagano
As you may already know, “Ninja (忍者)” is a spy of medieval Japan trained in martial arts and was hired mainly for espionage and assassinations.
Even now, there are many extant Ninja villages in Japan, even though there are no real Ninja.
Chibikko Ninja Mura (チビッコ忍者村: Kids’ Ninja Village) in Togakushi
Among such Ninja villages, if you have children, “Chibikko Ninja Mura (チビッコ忍者村: Kids’ Ninja Village)” in Togakushi, Nagano Prefecture, is a place worth visiting, because there are many attractions that make them excited there.
Image: togakushi-jinja.jp
Togakushi (戸隠)
“Togakushi (戸隠)” is a remote mountainous area in Nagano that is very famous as a sacred place in Japan, and about one hour walk from Togakushi Ninja Village takes you to Togakushi’s deepest-placed prestigious shrine.
As you can see in the photo, to reach the Shinto shrine, you have to go through a magnificent mountain pass surrounded by a forest of big trees.
In addition, Togakushi is also well-known for its buckwheat soba noodles, Togakushi Soba, so the sacred place has now been one of the most popular tourist spots in Nagano.
Togakushi Ninja Village
Actually, I went to the Togakushi Ninja Village “Chibikko Ninja Mura (チビッコ忍者村: Kids’ Ninja Village)” with my friend the other day.
Soon after we entered the village, we found a shop that rents Ninja costumes and actually decided to do and dressed.
| Ninja Costumes for Kids (from S size to X-Large) |
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| Amazon.com |
Karakuri Yashiki
In the village, there are 2 Ninja houses, generally known as “Karakuri Yashiki (からくり屋敷)”, which have full of gimmicks and tricks, where we tried to unravel the Karakuri and took about half an hour to go through.
The inside of the Ninja house was filled with an eerie atmosphere where not only did we unexpectedly meet several Ninjas, but there were even inclined rooms.
Throwing-Shuriken-Star Booth
Next, we headed to the throwing-star booth and actually threw real Shuriken.
Athletic Playground Equipment
In the Togakushi Ninja Village, there is also a large playground where many pieces of athletic equipment are installed, which kids will definitely like.
Even we adults were able to enjoy them as well and I had so much fun just like when I was a boy.
Sweets that Make Children Happy
At the end of the visit, we dropped in at a restaurant in the village which had various kinds of dishes and sweets on the menu. Like the ice cream corn pictured above, some of them can make children very happy.
Streets of Togakushi Ninja Village
Lastly, here is the video of the streets of Togakushi Ninja Village I recorded this time. For those of you who want more detailed information about the facilities, here is the official English site of Togakushi Ninja Village.
