Kasugayama-jinja Shrine 春日山神社

Kasugayama Shrine is situated halfway up Mt. Kasuga. It is where the revered General Uesugi Kenshin from the Warring States period (c. 1465 to 1573) used to reside. This wooden shrine was built by the father of Japanese children's storyteller, Mimei Ogawa.

You can reach the shrine by train and then by bus or car.

After taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Joetsumyoko Station, take the Myoko Haneuma Line to Kasugayama Station. Then, transfer to a Kubiki Bus and get off at Nakayashiki or Kasuga Sanso Mae bus stop. The shrine is a 20-minute or 15-minute walk from each bus stop respectively.

The shrine is a 20-minute drive from the Joetsu-Takada Interchange on the Joshinetsu Expressway. Free parking is available at the bottom of the shrine.

On the shrine grounds, you'll find animal statues that are fairytale motifs and relics and documents that belonged to Uesugi Kenshin.

If you'd like to get in a little exercise, take a hike up to the top of Mt. Kasuga to look over the city of Joetsu. It is not a difficult hike, and the trail passes through important castle ruins dating back to wartime in the Warring States period.

Nearby Rinsenji Temple is worth checking out since that is where Kenshin studied and trained in military arts.

Every year in late August, hundreds of samurai actors dress in full armor and march the streets of Kasugayama for the Kenshin Festival, which commemorates Kenshin.

The highlight of the festival is undoubtedly the reenactment of the Kawanakajima Battle; hundreds of actors and horses are involved in this performance.