The little-visited Suwa region is steeped in mythical lore. From Lake Suwa at its center to the surrounding mountains, the landscape is dotted with Shinto shrines and other sacred sites. On the lake’s northern shore lies Shimosuwa, a historic hot spring town once renowned as the only such stop along the Nakasendo Trail, the inland route connecting Edo (old Tokyo) and Kyoto. This walking tour explores Shimosuwa’s atmospheric old town, following the Nakasendo with its bathhouses, historic structures, and sacred sites, while also uncovering the mysteries of Onbashira, the region’s ancient pillar-riding festival. All tours are private, available exclusively for your group.

Highlights

• Walk the historic Nakasendo in Shimosuwa, the only hot spring town along the route
• Visit sacred Onbashira Festival sites, including Suwa Taisha’s Shimosha shrines and Kiotoshizaka where the pillar riding happens
• Experience one of Nagano’s oldest Zen temples, Jiunji, with its mossy grounds and dry rock garden.
• Enjoy a tea stop at a preserved 19th-century merchant house
• Soak in a hot spring footbath or a local onsen at the tour’s end (optional)

Where: Shimosuwa, Nagano Prefecture

Duration: Usually 4 to 6 hours

Start and Finish Times: Usually starts from Shimosuwa Station around 9 a.m. Actual schedule determined according to your itinerary, in conjunction with local bus times

Distance: ~7 km (4.3 miles)

Elevation Gain: 157 m (515 ft)

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Season: April to December, depending on local conditions

Price: ¥58,000 per tour for up to six people

Getting There: Shimosuwa is about 2 hr 20 min by train from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, 3.5 hr from Osaka and 3 hr from Kyoto (via Nagoya and Shiojiri)

Overview

Since ancient times, the people of Suwa have celebrated Onbashira, their mythic Shinto festival of renewal. Every six years, communities here come together to haul massive wooden pillars by hand from the surrounding mountains down to the local shrines, where they stand them in the four corners to great celebration. The festival is best known for the daring devotees who ride the pillars down a steep section of mountainside. With its roots in the deep past, Onbashira is an exuberant expression of community, local tradition, and connection to the natural world.

Walking through Shimosuwa-juku with its old school hot spring town ambience, we’ll find signs of the Onbashira festival and the depth of the region’s Shinto traditions all around. Our first stop is Suwa Taisha’s Akimiya Shrine, with the festival pillars (hashira) towering in the four corners and giving us a first glimpse of Onbashira and its culture.

Continuing along the old route, we then visit the honjin, the official feudal-era inn once used by high-ranking samurai, which boasts one of the most impressive gardens along the entire Nakasendo. From there, we move on to forested Harumiya Shrine, with a sacred woodland atmosphere that’s great for mindful walking.

Next, we visit Jiunji, one of Nagano’s oldest Zen temples. With moss-covered grounds and a striking dry rock garden, it’s a tranquil spot to spend some quiet time. From there we walk the Nakasendo out of town to Kiotoshizaka, the slope where Onbashira devotees ride their community’s pillars during the festival. Here you’ll get a feel for what the ujiko, or Onbashira devotees experience as they carry out their grand celebration.

We then catch a bus back to town where we resume our walk. We stop at the Aozuka Tumulus, dating to the late 6th century, a rare example of an ancient burial mound right in a residential neighborhood. Shortly after we arrive at Fushimiyatei, a well-preserved merchant residence from the mid-1800s, where we enjoy tea in a historic setting.

There are many places around town where hot spring water bubbles up from the ground, and there is even a hot spring footbath with complimentary towels along the way to ease your feet after all the walking. At the end of the tour, for fully local experience, you may even opt for a hot spring bath at one of Shimosuwa’s public onsen along the Nakasendo, renowned for the quality of their water.

Lunch is at a local eatery, often featuring delicious buckwheat soba noodles.

During the Onbashira Festival, kokoro-hitotsu, One Heart, is a constant refrain. In our fragmented modern society, it serves as a reminder of our collective well-being, that we’re more than a jumble of individuals. This tour offers an experience of a place where that spirit of unity is an ever present ideal.

All tours are private, exclusively for your group. Inquire today to secure your dates.

Note: The next Onbashira Festival is in 2028. See our partner page, www.onbashirafestival.com for more information. Photos of the Onbashira Festival by Emi Yamazaki.

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