Kagami-ike (Mirror Pond) sits at roughly 1,200 meters elevation in the Togakushi Highlands, Nagano City, and is celebrated for its mirror-like reflections of the Togakushi mountain range. During the autumn foliage season in particular, photographers and visitors come from across Japan to capture its picture-perfect scenery. Surrounding forests of beech, oak, and larch add to the landscape. The adj…

The Togakushi Highlands spread across the foothills of Mount Togakushi, a sacred site long revered as a place of Shugendo mountain asceticism. The origins of Togakushi Shrine are traced back to the Heian period, and throughout the medieval era the area flourished as a spiritual destination frequente…