Discover Otaki
Experience the Nature and Spiritual Heritage of Mt. Ontake
on the Ontake Kodo Pilgrimage Trail in remote Otaki Village
Hike the Ontake Kodo
Follow in the footsteps of spiritual practitioners who have ascended Mt. Ontake on this pilgrimage trail since ancient times
Visit Sacred Waterfalls
Walk the Waterfall Trail and encounter Mt. Ontake’s traditional purification sites
A Place Like No Other
Quiet cypress forests. Sacred waterfalls. Moss covered shrines. Otaki Village is located at the base of Mt. Ontake in Nagano prefecture, central Japan. The village has been an access point for pilgrimage on this sacred peak since ancient times. Its Ontake Pilgrimage Trail—or Ontake Kodo—is a great alternative to the Nakasendo Trail in nearby Kiso.
Easy to reach from Tokyo and Kyoto, Otaki is still far off the beaten track. It feels a planet away from the lights and bustle of the big cities with their tourist crowds. The village offers a side of Japan rarely experienced by visitors, where the deeply spiritual and a gorgeous natural environment combine.
Otaki is a place to immerse yourself in otherworldly landscapes imbued with Japanese tradition and slow life way down. Those who make it this far come to mindfully rejuvenate, to commune with nature, to explore. They come for a once in a life-time adventure in a place like nowhere else on Earth.
What travelers are saying
“
Thanks so much again. It was a really wonderful experience.”
— Callum R., Scotland
“
Our day at Mt. Ontake was the highlight of our trip to Japan.”
— Vivian T., MD, USA
Otaki Experience 