Kosuge Village is located about an hour by bus from Otsuki Station, a major transfer point for travelers heading toward the Mount Fuji area. While the journey itself is relatively short, buses from Otsuki are infrequent, so renting a car or staying overnight in the village can make your trip much easier.

One comfortable option is to arrive in Kosuge the day before and spend the night at a local hotel. The next day, you can explore the village at a relaxed pace before catching an afternoon bus back to Otsuki Station and continuing your journey.

Kosuge is a mountain village, so many of its roads are hilly, and the main sights are fairly spread out. Exploring everything on foot can quickly become tiring.

A bicycle is one of the best ways to move through the forests and quiet streets at your own pace. However, with plenty of long uphill stretches, an e-bike is highly recommended.

Guests staying at NIPPONIA Kosuge Village can borrow e-bikes from the hotel free of charge. If you are visiting by car, you can park near Roadside Station Kosuge (Michi-no-Eki Kosuge) and rent an e-bike from the nearby Kosuge MTB Base. Once you have your bike, you are ready to start exploring.

Mitake Shrine

If you are staying overnight in Kosuge, head out for a walk after breakfast. Three shrines are located near NIPPONIA Kosuge Village’s OHYA and KONAGATA accommodations and kadoya café, making them easy places to visit while exploring the surrounding neighborhood.

Near OHYA, Mitake Shrine is tucked away among dense trees. From the entrance to OHYA, follow the road for a short distance and you will soon spot a stone staircase beside a bus stop. Climb the steps to reach the shrine.

According to historical records, Mitake Shrine was established in 1692 and was once known as Mitake Gongen. During the Meiji period, however, the name was changed following the government-led separation of Shinto and Buddhism, which discouraged Buddhist-influenced titles such as gongen. The shrine’s long history adds another layer of interest to this quiet corner of the village.

For an easier approach, consider taking a slight detour along the road, past the vegetable fields and through a small path that enters the shrine grounds from behind. It adds a little distance, but lets you avoid the very steep slope at the front of the shrine and makes for a much more comfortable walk.

Kumano Shrine

Kumano Shrine is located near KONAGATA, part of NIPPONIA Kosuge Village. The surrounding area has several slopes and roads, so take care with passing traffic as you make your way there.

According to historical records, the shrine was founded in 1627. It also preserves a waniguchi dating to 1694, a bronze gong traditionally hung in front of a shrine or temple building for worshippers to strike. This suggests the site was once an important center of worship for Kumano Gongen.

Like Mitake Shrine, it was renamed during the Meiji period following the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, when the Buddhist-influenced title gongen was discontinued. It has since been known as Kumano Shrine.

Although Kumano Shrine is normally unattended, there is a community hall beside it where the Konagata Jindai Kagura is performed in September. This traditional kagura is designated an Intangible Cultural Property and traces its roots to the Edo period, blending elements of theater and kabuki into a highly dramatic performance complete with masks, spoken lines, and richly developed stories.

Behind the shrine is another local treasure: a giant konara oak recognized by Kosuge Village as a valuable natural asset and considered one of the largest of its kind in Yamanashi Prefecture. Twined around the tree is an enormous wisteria vine with a trunk circumference of around 0.8 meters, exceptionally large for wisteria.

If you have time, it is well worth walking a little farther to see the two giants growing together, an impressive sight that gives this quiet forest corner an almost mystical atmosphere.

Yagyu Shrine

Yagyu Shrine is located near kadoya café, in a relatively flat part of the village that is easy to reach either on foot or by bicycle.

The shrine was founded in 1478 by Kosuge Tōtōmi-no-Kami Nobukage, a local lord who ruled over the Kosuge and Tabayama areas. A festival is held here on the first Saturday of August each year, featuring a ceremonial shishimai lion dance. The tradition is said to belong to one of the lineages of lion dance that spread across Japan from Ise Jingu.

There is also a community hall beside the shrine, offering a glimpse of how the grounds continue to serve as part of everyday village life.

All three of these shrines are unattended, so you will not find the usual selection of omamori charms or shrine goods. What you get instead is a wonderfully quiet atmosphere. With little more than the sound of insects and the breeze through the trees, cycling between these historic shrines makes for a peaceful way to experience a slower side of Kosuge.

After visiting the shrines, hop back on your bike and head for one of Kosuge Village’s hidden scenic spots, Amegoi Falls (Shirasawa Falls). Waterfalls often mean a long hike through the mountains, but this one is surprisingly easy to reach. From the forest road, follow a short riverside walking trail and you will soon come across the falls cascading between massive rocks.

On the way down, there is also a viewing platform remarkably close to the waterfall. Step out onto it and look down over the rushing water while enjoying the cool mist in the air, a refreshing little experience especially on warmer days.

One thing to watch for is the entrance to the riverside trail, which can be easy to miss from the road. When you get close, look for this sign and follow the narrow path from there.

After a full morning of exploring, you will probably be ready to take a break and recharge. Here are two spots where you can slow down, enjoy the atmosphere, and sample some of Kosuge’s local flavors.

Popular Craft Brewery The Far Yeast Beer Adventure

Located near the Kosuge-no-Yu bus stop and Roadside Station Kosuge, The Far Yeast Beer Adventure serves up tasty burgers alongside locally brewed craft beer.

Using clean water from the headwaters of the Tama River and taking advantage of Kosuge’s cool mountain climate, its beers are crisp, refreshing, and a great match for a leisurely lunch.

Inside, a self-serve system lets you choose from 16 different beers and pour as much or as little as you like. With so many tempting options, it can be easy to go back for another taste.

Just remember that drinking and driving is prohibited in Japan, and that includes bicycles. If you arrive by bike and decide to drink, walk your bicycle back to your accommodation afterward.

The menu also includes a variety of burgers, soups, and snacks. One standout is the Forest Burger (1,580 yen), made with locally sourced mushrooms and a rich house-made mushroom sauce.

Creamy, savory, and packed with flavor, it is especially satisfying after a morning spent cycling and exploring the village.

Café and Community Space kadoya

Opened in summer 2026, kadoya combines a café on the first floor with guest accommodations upstairs. The café was designed around the concept of a “village living room,” with a spacious interior and warm, rustic atmosphere.

Settle in at the large wooden table in the center or grab a seat by the wall and enjoy the natural light. Either way, it is an easy place to slow down and relax for a while.

One of the café’s more unusual treats is the Kosuge Miso Basque Cheesecake (660 yen). The rich cheesecake is balanced by the salty-sweet flavor of miso, creating an unexpectedly addictive combination.

kadoya also serves coffee, juices, buttered toast, open-faced sandwiches, and other light dishes. In the evening, it switches to bar service with a selection of alcoholic drinks.

Roadside Station Kosuge

After lunch, head back to Roadside Station Kosuge for a browse. The area is also home to the village’s main bus stop, Kosuge-no-Yu hot spring, and several other places to eat, making it a convenient hub for visitors.

Inside the shop, you will find a wide range of local products, from vegetables grown by village residents to prepared foods made with regional ingredients, as well as souvenirs and crafts.

The items pictured here were recommended by staff and include flaked yamame trout rice topping, handmade Cha-chan manju, pickled wasabi, and sashimi konnyaku. They are all great examples of the flavors and ingredients Kosuge is known for.

One particularly eye-catching find is fresh locally grown wasabi. Fresh agricultural products may be subject to import restrictions when returning overseas, but even if you cannot take them home, browsing the seasonal produce is a fun way to see what is grown in the village.

Alongside wasabi, the shop carries a variety of locally harvested fruit and vegetables, so it is worth treating it a little like a farmers’ market and seeing what is in season during your visit.

Staying at NIPPONIA Kosuge Village and pairing it with a route that takes in historic shrines, ancient trees, clear mountain streams, waterfalls, and local food is one of the best ways to experience the richness of everyday life in this small mountain community.

One tip: do not pack your schedule too tightly. Leave a little room to get pleasantly lost, linger over the scenery, or simply sit in a café and gaze out at the mountains for a while.

Take in Kosuge with all your senses, from the sound of flowing water and rustling leaves to the flavors of local ingredients and the feel of cool mountain air. Those quiet moments may end up being some of the most memorable parts of your visit.

If you are continuing on toward the Mount Fuji area after Kosuge, a rail pass may also help you save on transportation costs.